


Crows Rhyme

by Amethystfairy1



Series: Amethyst's ABO Universe {With Friends!}! [7]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Accidental Death, Alpha Azumane Asahi, Alpha Kageyama Tobio, Alpha Sawamura Daichi, Alpha Tsukishima Kei, Alpha Yamaguchi Tadashi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Alternate Universe - The Selection Fusion, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Assassins & Hitmen, Assassins' Guild, Assault, Bickering, But Not Marriage its Mating, Courtship, Crows, Dark Past, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fights, Friendship, Guilt, Hot Springs & Onsen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Love, M/M, Mating, Near Death Experiences, Nobility, Omega Hinata Shouyou, Omega Kozume Kenma, Omega Kuroo Tetsurou, Omega Nishinoya Yuu, Omega Sugawara Koushi, Omega Yaku Morisuke, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Pack Hierarchy, Pack Sleepovers, Past Sexual Assault, Poetry, Princes & Princesses, Rags to Riches, Reunions, Running Away, Scars, Scenting, Secrets, Self Confidence Issues, Sleepovers, Snow Day, Sort Of, Symbolism, Thunderstorms, alpha tsukishima akiteru, its more of a hot tub, kind of, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-08-01 04:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 41
Words: 95,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16278116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethystfairy1/pseuds/Amethystfairy1
Summary: Tsukishima Kei is the second Prince of the Karasuno Kingdom.An industrial powerhouse, this Kingdom is the wealthiest on the continent. As such, Kei has enjoyed the lap of luxury in the royal palace. However, it did not take long for his curiosity to chew through the books and lessons of his tutors, leaving him nothing more than a bored royal, dreading his upcoming 18th birthday.Kuroo Tetsurou is...somebody.An atypical omegian runaway, he lives in the poorest district of the Captial with his two friends. Even the smallest detail of his past is accessible only through the words from his own mouth.Well, there are other ways, but most of them are lethal.With the Selection Ceremony for the young prince around the corner, Kuroo finds himself falling within the suitable age range, and therefore elects he may as well attend.After all, he couldn't possibly be the One.Lately, Kuroo has had a tendency of proving himself wrong.With a prying prince turned court mate and an entire entourage of curious young nobles on his back, Tetsurou is finding that the secrets he's keeping aren't a danger to only himself.After all, there's only so far you can run.





	1. Overcast Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Evening! We're off to the Selection Ceremony!" 
> 
> “Alright, well, enjoy your night out. It’ll probably be the last any of you three will get.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...here I am. I'm typically not the type who posts more than one story at a time. I'll do one-shots or I'll do collabs with others, but for the most part, I try to stay focused on one at a time. Yet here we are. I was just really excited by the concept, I've been working on it for several months, and I really want to see what you guys will think of it. So...hopefully you'll enjoy! Here's some important info for the story, particularly stuff to do with how I address people, or how people address each other.  
> ***  
> Alpha- Top of the hierarchy. Only Sires
> 
> Beta- Middle of the hierarchy, males only sire, females both sire and carry.
> 
> Omega- Bottom of the hierarchy, only carry.
> 
> Uppers- Referring to someone of a higher secondary than you. Omegas would refer to Alphas and Betas as ‘Uppers’ While Betas would only refer to Alphas as ‘Uppers’.
> 
> Lowers- Referring to someone of a lower secondary that you. Alphas would refer to Betas and Omegas as ‘Lowers’ while Betas would only refer to Omegas as ‘Lowers’.  
> ***  
> And with that, I hope you enjoy!

In a world of dark, teetering, skyscrapers lit by torchlight, powered by whirring gears, and coated in a near constant smog from the puffs of smoke that emerged from countless chimneys and factories, horseless carriages and trolley cars, across the sprawling night, still, life bustled in the streets.

Within this pulsating, chaotic, steam-powered cityscape, the hierarchy stood all the same.

Omegas in long petticoats and layered skirts with blouses and ribbon ties crisscrossed the streets, often carrying matching parasols to their outfits no matter the weather, though, in this particular kingdom, it seemed to constantly be overcast, with thunder expected day in and day out.

Alphas in their dress shirts, vests, and overcoats strode about, some of which were clamoring to convince a particularly beautiful omega here or there to take their arm for a hand over a particularly large puddle. Female and male betas mingled within this madness, all of it molding together to form the _imperfect_ perfection of the capital city of this sprawling kingdom. Six kingdoms speckled the landscape of this world, stretching from the sun-drenched southern state of Johzenji, all the way up to the snow capped mountains of the Fukurodani kingdom to the north. To the east lay Shiratorizawa, and the west Aoba Johsai.

Then there were two landlocked nations, which also happened to be the most populous. Nekoma, an agricultural superpower, closer to the south, and Karasuno, closer to the north.

Karasuno, a kingdom of near constant gloomy skies, is where the capital city aforementioned lies. To the center of the city was the inner city, is the sprawling palace, including within it’s walls the noble families and the royal family of the kingdom.

This is where we join one extremely irritated, not to mention nervous, prince.

 

**_Kei’s Royal Chambers._ **

 

“Tsukki…you can’t hide in there forever!” Yamaguchi, son to the kings high adviser, pounded on the door.

“No luck.” He looked over his shoulder to the rest of the princes compact yet loyal friend group.

Seeing as he was, well, a _prince_ , his options for friends were fairly small, so, as to be expected, most of the youth he associated with were either of noble birth, or the mates/court mates of those of noble birth.

Daichi sighed, putting a hand to his head. “It’s unreasonable, but I can’t blame him. After all, he is eighteen today. We all know what that means.”

Suga brushed at the front of his mellow red dress with a sigh.

“Well, what’s to do about it? Tonight every single eligible omega in the kingdom will have their names thrown into a bag.”

Hinata put his hand up. “You mean ‘the’ bag! The _magical_ bag!” He exclaimed pointedly with a dramatic wave of his hands.

Kageyama rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever, dumbass. It’s a bag. Every omega gets their name tossed in, and someone shakes it up and pulls one out. That omega is the heirs mate.”

Yamaguchi hummed. “Yeah, yeah, we all know that well and good, and Tsukki knows it too. Which is why we need to get in there and talk to him! He’s gotta be at least a little bit optimistic!”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Tadashi, but optimistic and Kei don’t mix.” Noya pointed out strongly, making an X with his pointer fingers.

Asahi shrugged. “I mean, he’s what you might call a ‘glass half empty person’ don’t you guys think?”

This, at least, everyone agreed on.

Meanwhile, inside the chambers themselves, Kei was a pacing, maddened mess. He couldn’t find it within him to sit still, and though he’d spent his entire presented life knowing this was how things would end, now that the day had arrived that he’d be meeting his established mate for the first time for either of them, he was panicking.

_Flawed system._

He’d thought so ever since he’d been old enough to properly understand what the selection process even was.

_They say it’s how the people keep sway in the monarchy. Absolute drivel._

Again, another thing he’d been passionately opinionated about since he was young. It’d been a tradition in the Karasuno kingdom for centuries, since the beginning of the new monarchy, and the peace treaty between the six kingdoms. Everything had been so scripted for the past few weeks, rehearsals and reminders of how to greet the public, give his speeches, accept bowing heads and, at the very end, take the hand of whatever omegas name was called out and lift them up onto the royal stage.

Now here it came.

In the stormy, well, _stormiest_ , season years past, in the last dying breaths of the Summer heat, Kei had been born.

Last year he’d welcomed the time as a day to spend begrudgingly celebrating with friends and family that he’d had another year of his life come and go.

This year, he’d rung it in, at eighteen years old, standing tall as a perfectly groomed male alphian prince, as the last birthday he’d spend as an independent alpha.

He folded his arms behind his back, his pristine black vest was fastened by silver buttons up over a dark red dress shirt. Red matching slacks ran down his legs and tucked into laced ankle boots adorned with silver chains. The rest of his was similarly bedecked, from the bracelets to the necklace to the sparkling silver spectacles on his face. He had a crown, but he wasn’t so much of a stuck up as to wear it about in his own personal chambers.

It was at this moment that thunder shook the building, and Kei jumped in surprise.

He almost smiled when he realized he’d done so.

 _They say you can tell a Crow is nervous when they jump at the sound of thunder._ He considered this, thinking of a common nickname to his people. Being those who favored gothic style, everything in a shade of dark colors to match their tumultuous skies, and with the crow being the animal upon the royal shield, so too were called the people who lived here.

The blonde paused at the window, brown eyes perusing the streets below. He watched the colorful parasols of the omegas dotting the landscape, as they so often did, to keep the rain off the carriers carefully arranged petticoats and meticulously styled hair.

As he watched the parasols come and go, he felt his nerves return full force.

For all he knew, one of those umbrellas was being carried by the same hand he’d take as his newfound court mate this very evening

_Flawed system, indeed._

 

**_The 3rd Quarter._ **

 

No one in their right mind who had even two coins to rub together came anywhere near the signs that said ‘3rd Quarter’.

It was the shadiest district of the capital city, caged in by royal guards and official outposts on all sides, trying to corral the poor, underfed people who lived here.

These were the slums, the places where you would never go unless you were far, far past the end of your rope, or had hands dirty enough that you could blend right in.

Thievery ran rampant, and every sort of illegal deal you could image were being talked about in broad daylight.

Or, well, in the stormy kingdom of Karasuno, the closest thing you ever got, the sunlight filtering through the overcast clouds.

It was night, and the omegas of the 3rd Quarter were currently digging desperately through what little clothing they had, trying to find whatever best dress they owned.

After all, if you lived anywhere remotely near the capital city, you should be at the selection ceremony.

None of these omegas believed they had a prayer of being the One, no, of course not. They merely wished to go for the free food, drink, and the slimmest possibility of meeting an upper who fancied them, and would free them from the prison of poverty in which they all resided.

Among these omegas were three who lived in a leaky roofed shack that was barely standing, and didn’t even count as a building enough to have a proper address.

Morisuke was only going for the food.

Kenma was only going because he didn’t want to be left alone.

And Tetsurou…

Well, Tetsurou was only going because Morisuke was going for the food and Kenma didn’t want to be alone, and he didn’t want Morisuke going alone.

He also didn’t feel like getting harassed by royal guards or policing squads who would likely roam the area searching for any omegas trying to wiggle out of the festivities.

He sighed heavily as he tied a black sash around his waist, purposely half-assing the bow at the back.

His very best clothes, reserved only for special occasions, or when it was too damn cold for anything else because most all of his other clothes had holes in them.

A plan black long sleeved dress with a red v neck cut vest buttoned over, and a black sash tied around the middle. He shoved his feet into his black boots. The laces were broken on one of them, causing him to use a thin belt he’d dug out of a dumpster in it’s stead, and fastened them on best he could.

“Alright, lets’ get this shit show over with.”

Morisuke scoffed. “Shit show? Well, yeah, but at least we’ll have full stomachs for the first time in years.”

It was true they were rather lucky to have landed within the age limit of attendance.

Four years older and four years younger than the prince himself were accepted.

The very thought of a fourteen year old being the One made Kuroo internally cringe.

Tetsurou himself was twenty one, and with his imposing height, lack of any proper omegian teachings, and a tongue sharper than most swords, he also landed squarely within the ‘atypical and undesirable’ category of omegas.

In his previous occupations, it hadn’t mattered much, so he didn’t have much issue with the topic most times. Right around now, when he was all but being forced to partake in something specifically because he was an omega, was when it irked him.

Morisuke stood up from where he’d been lacing up his own boots.

“Alright, let’s hit it. I wanna get there before all the area near the food tables is crowded, and we can hopefully snag a spot on the wall so we don’t get dragged into all the bitches chit chatting.”

Kenma sighed without comment as he too stood, awkwardly trying to flatten the gray front apron of his own dress.

The old thing refused to go quietly, continuing to wrinkle right back into itself, until the long haired omega simply gave up.

They left, sticking to the side buildings, each with a small leather booklet in hand.

Their I.D.s.

They couldn’t have anyone sneaking in who was over or under aged, and they also couldn’t have anyone impersonating a higher class omega to get better seats or have a leg up in the dating pool that would be raging on for most of the party before the prince even showed his face.

Tetsurou frowned down at the image displayed on the page of his I.D, it proved his age, name, gave his face for verification, and also where he was from.

This was where it got a bit dicey for himself, as well as for Kenma and Morisuke.

You see, all three of them weren’t from Karasuno at all, but instead from Nekoma.

_As for how we got ahold of these I.D’s…well…it was probably illegal, but I don’t feel like weighing myself down with that right now._

They arrived at the edge of the 3rd Quarter, where they met a few guards lingering at the corner.

“Where are you three off too?” One asked, leering on Kenma, who immediately retreated back behind Kuroo.

“Evening! We’re off to the Selection Ceremony.” Tetsurou hummed, brandishing his now closed I.D booklet.

“You heard him.” Morisuke held up his own.

Kenma didn’t say anything but also showed his booklet, producing it from his apron pocket.

One of the guards hummed. “Alright, well, enjoy your night out. It’ll probably be the last any of you three will get.”

He gave them a judgmental glance up and down at this.

Morisuke’s eye twitched but before he could get mouthy Kuroo grabbed him by the arm and hustled him up the street.

“Thanks!” He barked shortly before dragging the two shorter omegas he lived with up the street, past the whistling, whirring factories of the industrial neighbors of the 3rd Quarter, and towards the towering gothic palace where they’d be spending what was likely to be the most interesting night of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be working on this in tandem with Questionable (my other Haikyuu ongoing) but I think that having both will allow me to get rid of some writers block that's been bugging me for a while. Also, if you've read some of my other works, please say hi!!! :D So, please drop a comment down below with what you think of this idea so far, they help Kuroo get a new set of laces for his boots, and please leave kudos! Thanks so much for reading!


	2. The Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There’s a big storm about to start! The thunder means the gods are applauding, you know! They’re watching this too!” 
> 
> “Oh yeah? Well…hopefully at the very least they get a show.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy!

**_With Tsukishima._ **

 

“…and with that said, I’d like to thank you all for attending this commemoration of my coming of age, and for joining me to celebrate the selection of the One. Please enjoy the festivities!”

Kei looked out at the audience of seven who were currently judging him.

“Don’t you think you could do it a little bit _less_ like you’re about to be publicly executed?” Kageyama asked flatly.

“Tobio!” Hinata yelped, swatting his alpha in the chest.

“I think you did super, Kei! Just…maybe a bit more excited? That’s all?” Hinata then suggested to the prince, making a ‘smidgen’ gesture with his hand, who was glaring daggers at the couple.

Suga hummed. “You could stand to act a bit happier. After all, this is supposed to be the first day of your adult life, remember?”

Tsukishima scoffed as he stepped down around the large horn-shaped microphone like thing he’d be speaking into, which would allow him to project his voice across the masses who would soon be filling the colossal grand ballroom. Red crystal adorned chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and gargoyles representing crows, gods, and demons danced around the molding and upon the rafters. The ground was of black and creamy white tile, while the surrounding walls were all of red, gold, or black plaster decorating the otherwise stone structure.

“Remember? How could I forget?”

He was standing on the marble stage of the royals, where, typically, his families thrones would be standing. The throne room itself was in another room but, they were the royal family of one of, if not the most, prosperous kingdoms of the industrialized world. They had more than enough wealth to build more than just the one set of thrones.

Noya raised his hand.

Tsukishima looked down at him with zero enthusiasm on his face.

“Yes, Noya-san?”

The spiky-haired omega grinned. “Smile more! You don’t wanna terrify your future mate the first time you meet them, do ya?”

Kei returned that suggestion with a flat barely there raise of the corners of his lips.

“Better?”

Noya crossed his arms. “Just do you annoying smirk!”

Asahi tapped his mate on the shoulder. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea. When he smirks like that it’s like he’s always got some other plan and it’s normally not good.”

The others gathered there began to offer their opinions before Yamaguchi clapped his hands to quiet the bickering nobles.

“Ok, ok, it’s too late to make any adjustments now! Just go up there and do whatever feels comfortable, alright Tsukki? We’ll all be here for you!”

“Yeah!” Hinata cheered.  
“Somehow having the pipsqueak be the only one who’s for that statement makes me feel worse,” Tsukishima admitted, putting a hand to his head. His silver crown embedded with egg-sized rubies and a band of glittering diamonds was not resting on his blonde locks.

“HEY! I’M TRYING TO BE A GOOD FRIEND HERE!” Hinata roared.

For such a tiny omega he had quite a set of lungs.

Thunder shook the palace again and Suga smiled, looping an arm with Daichi.

“There’s a big storm about to start! The thunder means the gods are applauding, you know! They’re watching this too!”

Kei snickered humorlessly. “Oh yeah? Well…hopefully at the very least they get a show.”

 

 

**_“The Bag”_ **

 

 _The Bag_ was a magical weave that, when opened, appeared to contain nothing at all. However, when things were dropped into said _the bag_ , it was like it was gaining no weight at all.

The so-called wizard-priest in charge of this _the_ _bag_ nonsense, however, knew the real trick. Slips of paper with all of the omegas names in the entire capital city of Karasuno were dropped in.

What, did you actually think they included all the names of everyone single eligible omega in the land?

Of course not.

You see, this _the_ _bag_ wasn’t magic. 

It was rigged.

The line of ‘wizard-priests’ so tactfully kept that knowledge out of the hands of the public entirely, and away from the royals and nobles as well. They then would accept payments for expensive rituals to be done upon the paper the name was written on to make it more likely to rise to the top of _the bag_ and be selected as the One.

In reality, the ‘wizards’ were only capable of one magic. That magic was magnetism.

They’d attach small metal weights to each paper, claiming each weighed the same to ensure _the bag_ was well and truly mixed.

This was yet another lie, some of the metal was more likely to be attracted to a magnet than others. This was where the slight bit of chance came in. In reality, it was only six or so of the high ranking or occasional middle ranking families that had their omegas with a likelihood of being the One. The rest fell to the bottom, and when the ‘wizard’ reached in, the pieces with the metal would stick to the middle section of _the bag_ , while the rest, bearing weights that wouldn’t stick, would fall to the bottom.

Just enough chance involved for the big shock of a reveal everyone was hoping for. However, there was zero chance of any bottom-ranked omegas being the One.

The old man felt the usual rise of consideration at the thought of his plan. He’d been lucky enough to perform the selection three times in his career. Once for the King, once for his eldest alphian son, and now for the younger alphian son.

After this was over he’d take _the bag_ and return it to the depths of his temple, and resume his teachings as a magical priest.

_Poppycock._

He almost wanted to laugh as he began attaching the weights, meticulously so no one caught on.

_My reputation as a wizard is assured, and those high ranked families will fork over small fortunes for me to ‘bless’ the paper or ‘enchant’ the weight._

This was likely his last selection, as he doubted he’d be able-bodied, or even alive, at the point that one of the current heir's children came of age, but he intended to make sure this last one would go just as swimmingly as the others.

Little did he know that while lost in his scheming, his wrinkly old fingers, gnarled and callused from age, brushed upon the pile of little slips, and took up a slip just a space behind that of the one he had reached for. Without bothering to look over the name written there, he attached the weight and dropped it into _the bag_.

It should have fallen uselessly to the bottom, far out of reach, without any hope of being pulled out at the ceremony.

Instead, the weight was attracted to the magnetic loop within the middle of _the bag_ , and stuck firm, taking with it the name that should never have been there in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please drop a comment down below, they help Tsukki survive his 18th birthday, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before. Thanks so much for reading!


	3. The Selection Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Want to join us sometime today, Kuroo-san?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the Selection Ceremony! Man...I wonder who's going to be the One??? ;) Please enjoy!

**_The Selection Celebration._ **

 

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this well in my life!” Morisuke exclaimed, already on his fourth plate of food, and the party wasn’t even a quarter of the way over yet.

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Try not to overdo it, last thing I want is you puking it all up on someones expensive skirt and putting us in debt for the next ten years.”

Morisuke scowled. “This is probably the only time in our lives we’ll eat this well, and you haven’t touched a thing!”

Kuroo shrugged. “Not hungry.”

He then glanced behind himself.

“You want anything, Kitten?”

Kenma, who had been taking refuge behind his taller friend for the majority of the time, shook his head.

“Well, in that case, we’ll stay right here. Go ahead and knock yourself out, Mori, we’re good.” Tetsurou called.

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!” Was the roar Yaku gave over the din of the music, the talking, and the almost obnoxious clicking of heels and swishing of skirts.

This was _a lot_ of omegas.

Kuroo was currently leaning back against the wall about midway up the ballroom. He had a fairly good view of the stage from here and could see the older prince and his mate talking with an older noble couple.

Or at least, that’s who he assumed they were.

Kenma was by his side, seeming to be perfectly happy absorbed in people watching, lantern-like golden eyes flitting about to watch the guests coming back and forth.

Morisuke was returning to them, having deposited his dirty plate and, thankfully, halted his assault on the buffet table for now.

“When is the prince supposed to come out and talk?” He asked.

Kuroo raised an eyebrow. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

Was his response, watching as the tall, foreboding form of who could only be the prince came striding across the marble stage, with a tanned skinned, brown-haired alpha by his side as some sort of companion or attendant or something of the sort.

Tetsurou crossed his arms as the room went deathly quiet.

The mere sight of the prince had every single omega here remembering why they had come in the first place.

Several even dropped their heads in last minute prayer to the gods as the prince stepped up to the copper voice projector and spoke.

His voice was slightly warbled, but it came through clear enough.

“Greetings to you all, and welcome to the Karasuno Royal Palace. It is likely many of your first time stepping foot within these walls. Firstly, allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Tsukishima Kei, second in line for the throne of the Karasuno Kingdom. Today, as I’d imagine many of you know, is my eighteenth birthday.”

He paused, and at this moment the massive swells of people erupted into a roaring cheer, clapping and shouting well wishes.

Tetsurou half-heartedly clapped his palms together a few times so he wouldn’t seem rude, but the rest of the crowd roared on for a disproportionate amount of time before the prince raised a hand and silenced them.

“Secondly, I shall be explaining how the selection process will work. Our royal wizard-priest has already filled _the bag_ with the names of every eligible omega our country, and he has been working tirelessly to finish the preparations even as we speak.”

Another pause for applause, this time to praise the wizard-priest who’d been working so hard.

Tetsurou, on the other hand, couldn’t help but notice how the prince had seemed slightly exasperated at the mention of _the bag_.

_I wonder if he figures it’s rigged too…_

Kuroo has assumed that from the very start, ever since he’d heard of this tradition, but there was no reason for him to voice such an assumption.

“He will be finishing within the next half hour, and when he does I will call your attention to the stage. He will then produce a name from _the bag,_ and when he does, he will call it out immediately, no sooner than it has left the mouth of _the bag._ Whoever’s name it is will come forward immediately.”

_If it's every omega in the kingdom, how can you guarantee they'll be here? Yup, rigged. Definitely rigged. I'll bet it's only the omegas in the capital or something._

Tetsurou concluded

Another pause, more applause.

“…and with that said, I’d like to thank you all for attending this commemoration of my coming of age, and for joining me to celebrate the selection of the One. Please enjoy the festivities!” The prince raised his arms to gesture towards everyone and the ballroom exploded with cheering once again. It took longer for it to quiet, and by now things were going back into swing. Flirting, dancing and general merriment were going on wherever you looked. Meanwhile, the three from the 3rd Quarter remained against the side wall.

Morisuke crossed his arms. “So, just for the hell of it, what would be the first thing you guys would do if you’re the One?”

Kuroo scoffed. “Dumb question, considering we haven’t got a chance.”

The auburn-haired omega glared up at him. “That’s why I said ‘just for the hell of it’! Seriously, just name something, anything!”

Kuroo raised his arm, poking at a hole in the seam of his sleeve that had made itself known shortly after their arrival.

“Get a new dress that doesn’t spontaneously tear itself apart every time I try to wear it!”

Kenma hesitated. “…ask to go to the library.” He admitted after a moment.

Morisuke seemed to ponder his own reply for a moment before snapping his fingers.

“I know, take a nice, long, hot, bath, surely they’ve got some crazy bath the size of a lake or something, right?”

“I don’t know about a lake, but I’m sure it would be pretty big.” Kuroo laughed.

They continued this fantasy conversation, back and forth as they waited for the moment when _the bag_ would be rolled out and the possible future queen of Karasuno, or at the very least one of its princesses, would be decided.

 

**_Half an hour later._ **

 

“Everyone! Can I please have everyone’s attention?”

Conversation ground to a halt as everyone directed their gaze up towards the marble stage once more.

“The time has come for the Selection ceremony to begin!” The brown-haired boy with freckles who’d been in company with the prince announced into the voice projector.

It was now that several knights clad in full armor, something mostly pointless by this time in technological advancement and more for tradition than anything else, came out from behind the stage carefully carrying a silver sack that rested upon an ornately carved wooden table.

“So that’s the _‘The Bag’_ huh?” Tetsurou joked.

It was a bit disconcerting to know that his name was scribbled on a bit of paper somewhere within that sack.

_Probably buried waaaaay down at the bottom, right next to Kenma and Morisuke…_

He thought to himself wryly.

After a few minutes of blessings and ritual and all sorts of other mumbo jumbo Kuroo didn’t quite care for, the old man plunged his hand down into _the bag_ , making a show of rifling around, eyes closed as if searching within himself for the correct piece to seize.

It seemed he’d reached his decision, however, because with a flourish he produced a scrap of paper with one of the small metal weights attached to one end, he lifted it to his gaze, and immediately went several shades pale.

Impressive, for a man as milky white as him.

“What’s up? Grab the wrong name?” Kuroo murmured down to Morisuke, who shrugged in response.

Following along with tradition, however, the wizard-priest only faltered for but a moment before moving to the voice projector with all the speed his hunchbacked body could possess.

“The One omega’s name is Kuroo Tetsurou!”

Silence.

Dead, utter, complete silence

Kuroo must have tuned out because he couldn’t have heard that right.

Was his last name common around here?

Shouldn’t have been, it was more of a Nekoma thing, and even then he’d never met anyone with his family name before, related to him or otherwise.

“Kuroo Tetsurou, you must be here! Come forward immediately!” The wizard snapped into the voice projector, losing patience and desperate to see who his ‘magic’ had selected.

Of all people, it was Kenma who elbowed Tetsurou in the ribs.

“Get up there.” The blonde hissed.

Kuroo looked down to him blankly.

“So it’s you?” An omegian woman across the way asked.

Tetsurou nodded dumbly.

“It’s you!” Another male called from the side when he saw Kuroo affirm his name.

Before long ripples spread from Tetsurou’s location and a pathway was being opened for him to make his way to the stage, people respectfully backing away and giving him space. The prince stepped forward to the edge of the stage, eyes glued to the spot where the commotion was originating.

“Tetsurou, go. I’ve got Kenma, we’ll be fine.” Morisuke insisted, pushing his friend in the back.

Kuroo turned to him. “But…but what about the…you know. _Them?_ What if I never see you again?” He asked pressingly.

An all to real prospect, seeing as he was about to become a god damned _princess_.

Kenma shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. All that doesn’t matter right now. It’s the law, you’ve gotta get up there, just go.” He pressed.

“Hurry up! Don’t keep the prince waiting! Go on!” Morisuke tried to look supportive.

Kuroo could see the concern laced in his eyes.

The raven-haired omega fisted his hands.

“I guess I’ll…”

“Kuroo Tetsurou, up to the stage, immediately!” The wizard was roaring this now, and a few of the bystanders were actually trying to encourage the 3rd Quarter omega to get a move on.

Tetsurou gritted his teeth.

“…I’ll see you around…”

He turned his back on his friends and made his way briskly towards the stage.

His skin crawled as he realized just how drab and utterly unworthy he was going to look standing on the backdrop of the drop dead gorgeous prince.

Who he was getting closer too.

And closer too.

What was he supposed to do?

Bow?

Stop?

Just hop on up there?

Wasn’t that un-omega-like, to just hoist himself up?

Were there stairs?

Tetsurou couldn’t see any stairs!

Thankfully, his, well, his soon to be court mate, was there too help.

The prince bent his knee slightly and offered his hand down, and Kuroo couldn’t help but suspect that’d rehearsed this move beforehand.

“Want to join us sometime today, Kuroo-san?” The prince asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“O-Oh! Right! Yeah! Sorry!”

_Eloquently put, Tetsurou, eloquently put…_

He silently berated himself as he reached up and took the blonde alphas hand.

Carefully hitching up his skirt he propped up a foot up onto the side of the stage and was surprised how, with incredible ease, the prince swung him up onto the stage.

Now that he was standing up there, looking around at all the sparkling splendor that everyone else seemed to be absolutely drenched in up here, he awkwardly bent his head and tried to figure out what to do with his hands.

Well, his free hand, considering the prince hadn’t let go of his other one.

He thought of the messy bow at the back of his sash and internally cursed himself for not trying harder to make it look decent, and on this train of thought, he tucked one ankle behind the other, trying to hide the fact that one of his boots was secured by a belt instead of lace.

“I.D?” The wizard demanded tersely, beady eyes narrowing up at the tall omega before him.

Tetsurou quickly reached into his skirt pocket and produced the thin leather bound booklet, handing it to the priest.

He roughly yanked open the snap and flicked it up. The leather fell away, and he compared the photo to Tetsurou’s face, eyes scanning over the name, age, and residency.

It all matched.

Though, something felt a little out of place.

This being his birthplace, which was listed as a small mill town.

Not in Karasuno, though, in Nekoma.

“You’re not from Karasuno.” The wizard accused.

Kuroo winced. “Uh, y-yeah, immigrated, actually. I’m actually, well you know I moved so…I mean I was born…I’m from Nekoma, originally.”

_STOP. TALKING. SHUT UP._

He ordered himself within his head.

The wizard handed back his I.D.

“In that case, you do not qualify!” He declared brashly.

Tetsurou was almost relieved, he could just go back down into the crowd, back to Morisuke and Kenma, and hopefully, this whole incident could blow over.

No having to sort out his baggage with the prince of all people as his alpha.

That is until he felt the hand still gripping his tighten slightly.

“I apologize for intervening, I understand this is your expertise, Grand Priest, but his name was in _the bag_. You must have put it in there. If he moved here and has a proper I.D, it means he changed citizenship. He also falls within the age range. So he qualifies.”

Tetsurou glanced back to the prince who was standing rather defensively to his side.

_Why…? Why is he defending me?_

The priest took a breath to protest, but it was now that the King herself stalked up onto the stage.

“This ceremony is over. The One has been selected. The celebration will continue as scheduled.” She said firmly.

“But your Majesty, he isn’t even of our people…” The priest began weakly.

“Further discussion of this matter will _not_ be tolerated.” She snapped, eyes narrowing.

The old man backed down. He wasn’t stupid enough to try and anger the alpha.

She then did a complete 180 and turned to Tetsurou.

“Meanwhile, welcome to the royal stage. Unfortunately, you’ll have to be observing the rest of the festivities from just behind the stage. I understand this must be a lot to take in, so please try to relax and enjoy the rest of the party.”

_Ok…so the King is nice…I guess? Shit am I supposed to answer her?_

“I’ll try…thanks, your Majesty…”

She smiled softly, reaching up and patting him on the shoulder.

_I’m taller than her. Why do I have to be tall!?_

Tetsurou couldn’t remember the last time he’d resented his physical appearance so much in one moment.

“No need for those formalities, you’re going to be my son-in-law sooner or later, and I hope you’ll be comfortable around me and the rest of the family.”

Tetsurou clearly didn’t know what sort of response to give, and the King merely shook her head softly.

“Kei, take him backstage.” She waved her youngest away.

As he was being led by the hand across the stage, Kuroo had the mind to look back to the crowd. Whispers were lit like wildfire here and there, and while there was still a general quiet since permission hadn’t yet been given to resume partying, the voices were still rising slowly.

The black haired omega imagined the majority of them were questions about who this dumpy dressed, too tall, well-built omega even _was_.

As he gazed out over the crowd he managed to make out Morisuke jumping up and down, waving his arms madly before, once he realized he’d gotten Kuroo’s attention, started waving even harder.

Tetsurou felt his heartstrings yank painfully when another arm lifted up beside Morisuke’s, waving as well. Kenma was standing up straight and saying goodbye from the crowd.

He didn’t get the chance to reciprocate, but he gave a nod in their direction.

Then he was promptly whisked away backstage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! Kuroo is in for a wild ride now, poor guy XD Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Morisuke avoid getting heartburn from all the good food he's stuffing down, and please leaves kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	4. The Royal Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah…yeah, he’s definitely different.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been on a real kick with this story, I have a good bit of it pre-written, so I might be doing daily to three to four day updates. Pretty much every time I've finished a pre-written chapter I've felt compelled to post a new one so... ^-^ More for you guys! Please enjoy!

**_Behind the Royal Stage._ **

 

 

Tetsurou had been quietly seated in a cushy chair next to a table that was full to bursting with food and drink but hadn’t touched a thing.

In fact, he couldn’t even remember if he’d so much as moved an inch in the last half hour. The Prince had gone to speak with the wizard-priest, and he’d seemed less than happy about the public denouncement of the Selection Ceremony, so Kuroo got the feeling he was about to let the old man have it.

Meanwhile, here he was.

Waiting for someone to tell him what to do.

_The old me would never wait around like this…well…the old me would never have come up to the stage in the first place. Scratch that, the old me would never have been anywhere near this party._

He shook his head. Now was not the time for his stupid past life baggage, he was going to be a _princess_ for god's sake _._

The thought made him spare a glance over at the rest of the royal family.

No one had come to talk to him yet. A few servants had come up asking if they could do anything for him, or get anything for him, and he’d politely turned them all down.

The older Prince was standing with his mate, talking to his Father, who was seated in a regal looking chair idly sipping on some tea.

_Should I go talk to them?_

He shut that idea down immediately.

_About what? I’ve got literally nothing in common with any of these people. I’m better off just waiting._

So wait he did. The minutes continued to tick by until, at long last, Prince Kei returned, entering from a door at the other side of the backstage area. He had with him the brown-haired alpha from earlier, and a couple consisting of a finely dressed silver-haired omega, and a short brown haired alpha who had a squarish face and a set of piercing eyes.

Kei conversed with them quietly for a few moments before gesturing in Tetsurou’s direction. The older man froze up, trying to figure out if anyone had told him he was supposed to be doing something.

He really didn’t want to screw up less than an hour into being the newest addition to the royal family.

Thankfully, it looked like that wouldn’t be a problem, because Kei and his friends were now making their way over to him.

“Kuroo-san, this is my personal assistant Yamaguchi Tadashi.” Tsukishima launched into introductions without any hesitation.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” The alpha from earlier greeted with a smile and a nod of his head.

"Sawamura Daichi, the son of the Noble General, who is also charged with protecting the Capital, also a good friend of mine."

"No need to give him my resume." Sawamura chuckled.

"Finally, this is his mate Sawamura Koushi, another good friend.”

"Hello!" The ash blonde greeted with a beaming smile.

“Uh…hi, nice to meet you.” Tetsurou forced out as he stood from his chair.

Koushi smiled at him.

“We’re so glad you’re here! Kei has been more nervous than I’ve ever seen him leading up to this.” He commented.

“Suga-san…” Tsukishima groaned.

Tadashi snickered. “It’s true Tsukki, better get on with it.”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow. “Tsukki, huh?”

Yamaguchi hummed. “We’ve known each other for our entire lives, and when I was younger I picked up calling him Tsukki because he didn’t like being compared to Akiteru-san.”

Kei crossed his arms. “Tadashi, we talked about this.”

“Sorry, Tsukki.” He coincided, clearly even though Tadashi had been the one to apologize he’d won whatever back and forth this had been.

Kei sighed, bowing his head slightly before speaking again.

“The celebrations are going to go on for hours, though I have little interest in rubbing elbows with these people much longer. Would you allow me to escort you to your chambers?”

Kuroo frowned. “Chambers? As in, plural?”

Kei nodded. “Come, I’ll answer any more questions you might have as we walk.”

“See you tomorrow!” Suga waved with a smile as Tadashi gestured back.

“I’ll meet up with you later, Tsukki.”

“Sure, whatever.” The prince agreed before offering Tetsurou his arm.

_Wait. Do I take it? How?_

Trying to remember the way couples walked on the streets, he hooked his hand under Kei’s elbow and allowed himself to be led from the backstage area.

 

 

**_In the Hallways of the Palace._ **

 

 

For a few minutes they walked in silence, Tetsurou too busy ogling the grandeur of the palace, and Kei to busy trying to figure out something to say that would break the ice.

He’d done the usual circling with niceties and nothings rolling easily from his tongue, but with Kuroo something felt different.

For starters, he’d been dreading the soft gasp and small silken gloved hands of some noble omega, since, as he’d once thought, _the bag_ had to be rigged. 

Yet, when the ripples came from far further back from the stage than any previous Selection, and when the raven-haired omega came forward in a tattered dress with a belt holding one of his boots on, sash tied in a sloppy bow, he’d been blindsided. When he’d taken hold of that rough calloused hand, not the feathery soft skin he’d been so privileged as to expect. He’d actually had to put a good bit of force into pulling the older onto the stage. He’d played it off easily, but once Tetsurou had stood up next to him it’d been made blatantly obvious how different the One was from what he’d expected.

Kei let his eyes wander back over to the tanned male, who was currently wrapped up watching the portraits and golden trim go by as they walked.

_He’s easily my height…I might have him by an inch or so, but not much. He’s not particularly skinny or frail either…he’s strong. He’s everything I didn’t expect._

Which was exactly why Kei had become so invested in defending him when Tetsurou’s right to be apart of the Ceremony and been put into question.

This brought another thought to his head.

_Where has he been? I’ve never been allowed to leave the capital in my life…these gardens, streets and palace hallways are the only place I’ve ever known. Yet my betrothed is from a different country entirely. Perhaps once I gauge his thoughts on his home country I’ll ask him. For all I know he fled for painful purposes here to Karasuno, and it could be a touchy subject._

“So…where are you from?”

Kuroo glanced back over to the prince.

“Is this about the whole me not being a native thing?”

_No, that’s not what I meant, I’ve got no problems with you being a foreigner!_

Tsukishima stiffened as this thought went through his mind. “No, no, that’s not what I…where do you live now? I mean, where did you live?”

_Wait, was that too forward?_

Kei wondered this as the omega looked to the ground in discomfort.

“You uh…you won’t like it.” He admitted finally.

Kei furrowed his brow. “Where you lived?”

Tetsurou sighed. “I’m from the 3rd Quarter, alright?” He admitted.

Kei outwardly had no reaction to this, but inwardly was already trying to think of every single possible way he could ensure this man never went anywhere near that place again.

_The 3rd Quarter is a thieves den, it’s the worst area of the city. And he…he lived there?_

“How long? I mean, how long did you live in the 3rd Quarter?”

Kuroo shrugged. “About a year, maybe? A little longer. I did a lot of wandering with my friends before I settled down here.”

He gave a dry chuckle. “Turns out three omegas running around in the big wide world by themselves isn’t the greatest combination. And trust me, we did _a lot_ of running.”

Kei wanted to press on that. Wanted to know who the other two omegas were, where they were now, who was chasing them, where exactly he’d been.

Yet, this was only the first night of many Tetsurou would spend in the palace.

The first night of the rest of their lives.

_Yes, that’s right. I’ll spend the rest of my life with him. I can ask him questions aplenty in the morning._

They’d arrived at the door to Tetsurou’s temporary chambers, at least until they, _ahem_ , got mated properly.

“This is it. Tomorrow morning the servants will help you dress, and I look forward to meeting you for breakfast.”

He stepped back from the older with a blank, piercing expression.

“Right…ok…sure, see you then, I guess.”

Tetsurou awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“I’ll just get this out of the way, I’m almost certain I’m the opposite of what you wanted to come out of that bag, so…honestly, if that’s the case, I’m not offended. I’m nothing like the omegas alphas typically like.”

Kei frowned slightly. “Well, who says I like typical? If we’re being honest here, then I’ll inform you I was actually pleasantly surprised when I first laid eyes on you and saw you were nothing like the rest.”

Tetsurou dropped his arm from behind his head.

“You…you were?” He demanded incredulously.

The prince, in response to this, simply took the omegas hand and bowed, brushing a kiss to his knuckles.

“Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

And he walked away, leaving a stunned, red-faced Kuroo Tetsurou in his wake.

 

**_Tsukishima’s Chambers._ **

 

 

The moment he arrived back, Tadashi whirled around from the bookshelf he’d been idly organizing.

“Tsukki!” The freckled alpha rushed forward and seized his friend by the shoulders.

“Come on, spill! What did you think? He’s so different from what I was expecting!”

Kei nodded slowly. “Yeah…yeah, he’s definitely different.”

The blonde removed his crown and set it on the table before collapsing heavily into one of the chairs located in the parlor of his personal apartments.

Yamaguchi all to happily took to the other seat.

“What did you talk to him about? I couldn’t hear much of what the Grand Priest was saying, so I’m dying to know!”

Kei sighed heavily, raking his hand through his hair.

“Firstly, he’s not native to Karasuno. He’s actually from Nekoma.”

Tadashi gasped. “Really? So that’s why the Grand Priest acted up!”

Kei nodded. “That’s right, but I stepped in. After all, his I.D made it clear he’d immigrated to Karasuno last year and had become a permanent citizen.”

Tadashi made a soft ‘ah’ of understanding before Kei continued.

“Another interesting thing, currently, or well, before he came here anyway, he took residence in the 3rd Quarter.”

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened. “3rd Quarter? Isn’t it like, super shady?”

Tsukki crossed his arms. “Yeah, but I don’t think Kuroo-san falls into the ‘shady’ section, I think he falls into the ‘poor with nowhere else to go’ category.”

Tadashi propped his elbow up on his knee as he considered this.

“Wow…so he’s probably got zero idea how to act in this situation, huh?”

Kei nodded. “I could tell, too, the first thing he said without responding to a question is that he was sorry he was so far from what I was expecting, and if I didn’t like him he wasn’t offended.”

There was a long pause.

“I told him he was wrong. That I didn’t necessarily want someone who fits the mold.”

Tadashi snickered.

“What?” The prince demanded, shooting his assistant a piercing glare.

“Nothing, Tsukki, it’s just…I have a really good feeling about Kuroo-san, that’s all.”

“Doesn’t sound like that’s all.”

“I think I’ll keep that other part a secret.”

“Tadashi!”

“Sorry, Tsukki!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! Please drop a comment down below, they help Tadashi avoid Tsukki's wrath, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before. Thanks for reading!


	5. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well. This is new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's awkward at describing these peoples outfits? THIS GIRL!!!! ;-; Honestly, please gimme some feedback on how I talk about their clothes because I really want it to sound good. Thanks! Please enjoy!

**_Kuroo’s Chambers._ **

 

 

_Well. This is new._

The bed alone was bigger than he, Morisuke’s, and Kenma’s entire pathetic shack back in the 3rd Quarter. With a canopy of purple gauze and sheets to match, Tetsurou was pretty sure he wasn’t up to standard to even _touch_ this bed. The walls were papered red with silver designs swirling across them, reminiscent of a rose bushes flowers and thorns. The molding along the ceiling and floor was painted silver to match. The entry door he’d come through had opened into a parlor complete with rich red and gold decorated furniture, a plush red chaise, and three equally grand looking red upholstered chairs with bird foot ornaments on the legs. Through the door to the left was his own personal bathroom with a massive copper bathtub and cool black and white tile. The door to the left led to a room that was currently barren, with nothing but a large window flanked by silver curtains. The door directly ahead from the entrance led to the bedchamber itself, with the aforementioned gorgeous bed. The floor in here was of a silver carpet that felt soft against Kuroo’s bare feet.

He’d taken his boots off, knowing they had mud clods still stuck to the bottoms from previous day. He wandered his way over to the towering wardrobe that was situated against the wall next to the door.

When he opened it he found it was empty.

_I guess I’ll probably get measured sometime soon…good thing they didn’t assume my size, the skirts would have been short by a foot or two._

He set his boots into the bottom of the wardrobe and made his way back across to the bed. He sat down heavily on the silky sheets, and the mattress instantly caved slightly to cushion his weight.

_Wow...so soft...it's bliss..._

He laid back fully, stretching his arms above his head with his legs dangling off the edge where he'd sat down. 

_Well…_

He tucked his hands under his head and stared up at the mesh canopy of the bed as thunder boomed beyond the windows.

_...between the gorgeous palace, the gorgeous bedchambers, the gorgeous bathroom, the gorgeous parlor, and the gorgeous prince...yeah...I’ve definitely dealt with worse situations than this._

 

**_The Next Morning._ **

 

When Tetsurou woke up, his first thought was why it was oddly cold around him. After all, he’d typically sleep in a cuddle pile with Morisuke and Kenma.

He creaked his eyes open and found himself staring up at the purple bedroom canopy.

_Oh yeah…all that Selection Ceremony and being the One bullshit._

He sat up, feeling his back crick from the uncomfortable position he’d fallen asleep in. His legs had stayed hanging over the edge of the bed, right where he’d sat down.

_Man, I didn’t think I’d be this tired._

He got to his feet, shaking out the pins and needles from how they'd fallen asleep hanging off the bed and looked around his new home. He rubbed one eye as he walked to the window. Mist fell from the skies, covering his view of the sprawling gardens in a layer of drifting water which caused the sunlight to filter through it in quite a beautiful way. The gardens were filled with shrubs and rose bushes, flowering trees and other sorts of botany Tetsurou didn't know how to identify. It was crisscrossed with covered walkways, likely to make it easier to frequent what with the near constant downpour that was going on in this country.

Tetsurou made his way out to the parlor and reacted on instinct when he heard the creak of someone in the chair. Fisting his hands, he spread his stance slightly and turned sideways.

When the omega he’d met the night before glanced back from the chair, he managed to convince himself to relax.

“Good morning!” The man before him greeted in a cheery tone. _Far_ to cheery for so early in the morning.

_Sawamura…right?_

“Good morning to you too, Sawamura-san.” He greeted.

The silver-haired man waved his hand.

“None of that. Call me Suga, it’s what everyone calls me.”

Kuroo awkwardly stepped aside as Koushi made his way into the bedchamber.

“Suga? How come?” He questioned as he followed.

“My maiden name was Sugawara, so people had nicknamed me Suga since I was a kid. Pretty much everyone calls me that.”

Tetsurou hummed. “Ok, that makes sense.” He admitted.

Suga flitted across the room to the wardrobe, and before Kuroo could warn that all he’d find within would be a single pair of muddy boots, he flung it open.

Dresses, boots, petticoats, and all other sorts of fine clothing that most certainly were not in there yesterday suddenly lined the thing wall to wall.

“W-Wait, when did they…?” Tetsurou asked, mystified.

Suga winked at him. “You were so passed out in here that after the royal tailor got together some larger sized dresses for you, the maids were able to bring them right in and you stayed fast asleep.”

Tetsurou frowned. “I find that hard to believe.” He mumbled.

After all he’d been through, he was a notoriously light sleeper, just as Morisuke and Kenma were.

_Then again, with all the thunder in this country, we’ve had to get used to sleeping deeper lately…and after what a wild ride yesterday was…maybe it could happen._

Deciding it wasn’t worth reading to deeply into his own sleeping habits, Tetsurou watched as Suga produced a particularly frilly number from the wardrobe.

“This one's pretty!” He exclaimed with a smile, black-gloved fingers gripping the skirt and spreading it out for Kuroo to see.

“Ha. Funny. For a second there I almost thought you were seriously expecting me to wear that.” The former 3rd Quarter omega replied flatly.

The noble before him pouted.

“Rude!” He accused, sticking out his tongue before he stocked the dress away again and began shuffling through the other selections.

Kuroo felt a strike of deja vu, and for a second that beautifully dressed figure in red and black faded away to be replaced with a beat up canvas jacket and sharp brown eyes, a quiver hanging from the waist of a mud-stained teal blue dress, and a bow slung over one shoulder.

Tetsurou had to shake his head slightly to clear away the dark brown spikes that had replaced those silver ones atop Suga’s head, the berating voice he recalled so well echoing like a ghost in his head. He firmly barricaded himself further away from thoughts of witty banter and lopsided smiles, internally cursing himself for getting dragged backward like that.

_Stay in the present, it’s easier that way._

He then focused back in on what Suga was saying.

He’d pulled a significantly less frilly dress set from the wardrobe.

Tetsurou was about to protest yet again when a knock on the door interrupted them.

“Enter!” Suga called, and Kuroo didn’t miss the considerable primness that had suddenly entered his voice.

_I’m gonna have to learn how to act like that, huh?_

It became apparent just now that perhaps escaping out his bedchambers window was not so unpleasant of an idea.

In came, instead of a maid as Kuroo and been expecting, a short omega wearing a jet black gown. The short, puffy sleeves of his dress had orange lacing, with a wreath of black faux feathers that ran around the entire top neckline, falling over his shoulders.

Orange petticoat ruffling was showing out from under the top skirt, and an orange tournure covered in a black web of lace was bouncing from his behind. A pair of black dress boots were popping in and out of view, with a set of orange gauze wrist length gloves completing the look. He’d abandoned a black, orange adorned parasol with a rather expensive looking silver handle on the floor in the parlor room.His wildly spiky orange hair was pinned back from his face with a black clip that looked like the feather of a crow, and upon closer inspection, Kuroo recognized it was made of some sort of obsidian colored crystal.

“SUGA-SAN!” He roared to a halt in front of the two of them.

Koushi looked at the hurried omega up and down before sighing and piling the dress, plus whatever other adornments were necessary, into Tetsurou’s arms.

“Shouyou, I’ve told you not to run so fast when you’re dressed for the day! Did you throw your parasol on the floor!? Oh, what am I going to do with you?”

The boy who had just run in, Kuroo speculated, couldn’t have been much younger than he and Suga themselves.

_Even so, Suga does strike me as the Mother Hen type._

He considered as he unceremoniously dumped the armful of finery onto his bed.

This one outfit was likely worth more than all the money he’d made since he’d moved to Karasuno, and yet, since he was now on route to becoming a princess, he figured he wouldn’t have to pay up if anything got damaged.

“Sorry! Sorry!” The boy's loud voice filled the room as Koushi clucked over him. Suga’s black-gloved hands reached up to smooth down the now thoroughly messy orange hair and replace the rapidly sagging feather shaped clip.

Said short statured omega ignored this all entirely and continued with talking.

“I came real quick since I wanted to help Kuroo-san get dressed! After all, he’s gotta meet Kei in less than an hour!”

Suga gasped dramatically.

“Less than an hour!? We’ve got to move! Shouyou, fetch a comb, and _pick up your parasol!_ ”

The orange haired boy dodged a swat from Suga and rushed back into the parlor, snatching up his umbrella as he went and dropping it into the stand by the door where it rang around the rim several times.

Meanwhile, Suga himself was hustling Kuroo towards the bathroom.

“Get in there, brush your teeth, and wash up. Fast!” He ordered.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean I’m meeting the prince in an hour?” Kuroo demanded, wedging his arms into the bathroom door to stop himself from being shoved inside.

Suga groaned. “We’re gonna have to teach you a lot. You’re officially courting him now, you realize? Despite that, it doesn’t mean you’ll spend every waking moment together. Between his princely duties, his studies, your own studies, your manners courses…”

“Manners courses?” Kuroo demanded haughtily.

“Yes, manners courses! Appropriateness aside, you can pop in on him whenever you want, and he can do the same to you, barring scheduled events such as lessons or meetings. Mealtimes will likely be the most time you’ll be spending, and this morning you’re going to eat with him the garden to officially kick off the courtship! Which means we’ve got to make you presentable!”

With this, the silver-haired omega gave a mighty shove and forced the taller into the bathroom before slamming the door behind him.

 

 

**_Less than one hour later._ **

 

Kuroo was reasonably sure he was going to suffocate.

He’d been poor pretty much his entire life.

Scratch that. His entire life. No ‘pretty much’ about it.

He’d never worn one of these torture devices uppity omegas called a corset.

Thankfully Suga had, _apparently_ , gone easy on him.

_If this is easy I’ll never make it through when it’s as tight as it should be._

Tetsurou thought, pausing briefly to lean on the railing of the stairwell.

Suga and Shouyou had left him at the end of this hall, telling him he just had to proceed forward, down the stairs, and out the door at the bottom. Kei was supposed to be waiting for him right outside.

Alone.

By himself.

For the first time in this whirlwind of a morning, Tetsurou considering the words the prince had spoken to him before they’d parted ways the night before.

_Well, who says I like typical? If we’re being honest here, then I’ll inform you I was actually pleasantly surprised when I first laid eyes on you and saw you were nothing like the rest._

The raven-haired omega swallowed thickly.

_Should I buy it? I mean, he’s got no reason to lie, does he? Unless he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings…even so, he seemed so genuine about it._

Tetsurou put a gloved hand to his forehead in irritation.

The gauzy material meeting his face was an unwelcome surprise.

_These things are so delicate, how the hell are they considered gloves?_

He idly turned his hand over before his face, examining the way the light from the windows filtered through the red material. He could see the skin tone of his hand showing through.

_Weird._

He decided before continuing toward the door.

He arrived at the doorknob and took a deep breath _(read: deep as his corset would allow)_ and focused his eyes forward.

_Alright. Time to figure out just where I stand with this guy…this prince…this alpha._

He frowned.

_My alpha?_

His heart sped up unsteadily with that thought, and so he banished it, pressed down on the handle, and pushed the door forward.

It swung open, and he awkwardly opened up his parasol to protect him from the spitting rain that was falling from the dark sky.

He put it over one shoulder so it shaded his head and stepped out into the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! Please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo breath in his corset, and leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading! ^-^


	6. Breakfast in the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Caged bird…huh? Call me a lot of things, you couldn’t call me that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty sizable chapter! :) I hope you enjoy it!

**_With Tsukishima._ **

 

Kei had been waiting outside under the covered awning across from the doorway for only two minutes or so. Despite that, and despite expecting to wait several minutes more given he’d been fifteen minutes early to the rendezvous, he was rocking back on his heels, trying to clear his thoughts.

_Good morning…did you sleep well?_

He considered this as a possible greeting before shaking his head.

_To personal. We may technically be courting, but we’ve only just met and I know basically nothing about him._

He thought it over.

_Hello…I hope your first night here at the palace was satisfactory._

He bit his lip softly.

_No, that makes me sound super stuck up. He’s from the 3rd Quarter, after all, and if I say something like that it’ll sound like I’m talking down to him._

Take 3.

_Good morning, I hope you were able to get a good nights rest?_

He leaned his head back slightly.

_Ok, not bad…maybe…_

He slumped his shoulders.

_Why am I so worried about this?_

Kei knew well and good from friends, family, and guests alike that he had a tendency to come across as aloof, standoffish, and generally like someone who looked down on people.

Figuratively, considering that with his height he was also looking down on people literally more often than not.

He raised a gloved hand and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he considered this.

_The last thing I want to do is make a bad first impression on the omega I’m expected to get mated too within the next year. Judging from yesterday he’s already feeling wildly uncomfortably in this entire situation, but knowing he’s from the 3rd Quarter explains that. No lower class omega has ever had their name come out of the ‘The Bag’ in the Selection. Never. So…honestly, perhaps being a bit more laid back would make him more comfortable? At the very least I need to assure him that I don’t expect him to act like grade A princess material right off the bat._

Before any more musings could be had, Kei recognized the sound of the door being opened.

He looked up just as his mate to be exited to the palace, noting how he fumbled with his parasol slightly before managing to open it.

Kei made a mental note that letting his mouth fall open was not very princely of him, and quickly shut it.

His red skirt was falling down overtop of the ruffles of a black set of petticoats. The sleeves were flush with his skin, black lace falling down towards his elbows before tapering off. The front lacing was red over a black top. The parasol matched, of course, with red lace decorating the underside, as the top was made of a studier water-resistant material to hold up to the rain.

Making his way down the stairs and across to the awning, Tetsurou stopped in front of Kei with an uncertain expression written across his face.

“Um…good morning?” It came out more like a question than it probably should have.

Kei snapped himself back into focus and offered his arm.

“To you as well. Did you have a good nights rest?”

Tetsurou seemed to remember the way they’d walked the night before and looped his hand under Kei’s.

“Yea…I mean, yes, it was very nice.”

Kei internally sighed.

“You don’t need to worry about formality. It’s one thing for me, I’ve just grown up with this as my way of speaking. I have no desire to make you uncomfortable.”

Kuroo seemed about to reply to this before he tripped over the front of his dress.

He likely would have toppled right over if it weren’t for him holding Kei’s arm. He tightened his grip on the alpha and stumbled, doubling over and leaning heavily forward. Kei braced one foot on the ground and held firm, ensuring his newfound court mate didn’t do a very unflattering face plant on their first morning together.

“Ack! Sorry!” Kuroo managed to straighten back up a second later.

Kei smirked. “No problem. After all, you know that’s the real reason its proper manners for an Upper to offer their arm, right?”

Tetsurou snorted in a rather undignified way, but then, under the covered awnings of the garden, which protected from the spitting rain, no one was around to judge.

Well, save, Tsukishima himself, but he had no intentions too.

“No way.”

“Way.” The Prince insisted.

“You’re not the only one who trips. Don’t worry, I’m sure Suga-san will teach you how to fake it so you’ll only look as though you were straightening your top skirt or something.”

Tetsurou groaned. “Oh, don’t tell me he’s gonna be teaching me all this princess stuff?”

Kei looked to the said at him.

“It’s Suga-san or a really grumpy old omega who hits you with her parasol in the back of the head every time you screw up.”

Kuroo shuddered. “No thanks.”

Kei hummed. “That’s what I thought.”

They continued through the garden until they arrived at a large glass structure, it was paned with small mosaics depicting diving crows amidst thunderstorms, bright flashes of lightening paneled in with yellowish tinted fragments of glass.

“What is it with Karasuno and thunderstorms, anyway?” Kuroo suddenly questioned as they walked towards the building.

Kei shrugged. “Not quite sure. It just never stops raining here. It’s always quite overcast, and the level of industry we produce doesn’t help either. I can’t remember having a particularly sunny day since early spring, as a matter of fact.”

Tetsurou sighed. “Weird.”

They entered the domed glass building, revealing a table set up with a mouthwatering array of fluffy biscuits, steaming eggs, a teapot, several plump sausages stacked onto another platter, and more than Kei didn’t pay much mind too.

Tetsurou, on the other hand, was shocked.

“Is anyone else joining us?” He asked finally.

Kei shook his head as he drew out the omegas chair.

“No, why do you ask?”

“Just…” Kuroo, after a couple tries, had managed to fold his parasol closed and place it in the umbrella stand by the door, before taking a seat.

“…it’s so much food.” He finished his statement as the bespectacled prince pushed his chair in.

Kei looked over the variety displayed.

_It seems like the typical amount…but then…_

Again, he mentally chastised himself.

_…Kuroo-san was poor before he wound up here, just remember the way he was dressed. He’s an immigrant from the 3rd Quarter, of course he thinks this is an overabundance. He’s likely used to having a 5th of this amount._

“It’s what is typical here, however, you only need to eat as much as you please. Don’t force yourself.” Kei assured as he took his own seat.

The blonde then proceeded to offer his company food until he insisted he didn’t want anymore. The alpha then filled his own plate and took up a fork.

He’d told the servants in charge of preparation to only set out a single set of utensils. Of course, this was unheard of, but as he’d suspected, Tetsurou had no clue about proper table manners, and it was his goal to ensure the omega wasn’t made unnecessarily uncomfortable.

“So, on the previous topic…”

_Yes, I shouldn’t let silence carry on too long. Hopefully, this doesn’t come across to forward…_

“What is the weather in Nekoma like?”

Kuroo paused midway between lifting his fork to his mouth, lost in thought for a moment.

_I should have known his home kingdom was a sore spot, ok, need to change the subject, how about…_

“Hot.” The voice came out with a bitter tone to it.

Kei watched the way those slate gray eyes darkened slightly, shadowed by a memory of a small mill town in the sun-drenched southern countryside of a kingdom far from here.

“Blisteringly hot and sunny. But then…the winter was ok. Where I grew up it never snowed, I was closer to Johzenji than Karasuno. However, it did get fairly cold. We didn’t have much rain like you guys do here. Well, we had some here and there, but, it was more like perhaps once every month or so, as opposed to every single day.”

Kei imagined that for a moment. Naturally, he was well aware that Karasuno’s weather patterns were particularly strange, but then, as he’d read, it was perpetually cold in Fukurodani, and constantly summery warm in Johzenji.

Since Nekoma was further south, it made perfect sense that it’s weather patterns would resemble Johzenji, and he’d just gleaned another bit of information about the omega before him's past.

Despite it being a small fact, he now knew that Tetsurou had grown up far to the south, instead of being closer to Nekoma’s northern border with Karasuno.

“That’s…fascinating. I’ve never really spoken casually with anyone from another kingdom. Any who come here are strictly guests, so there’s not much time for inquiries over the weather.”

Kuroo cocked his head slightly, raising an eyebrow.

“Is that why you stepped up when that old man tried to kick me back to the crowd last night?”

Kei froze up, because, well, in a way, that had a lot to do with it.

“Not quite…it was closer to how I told you yesterday that I was dreading the arrival of some noble faction omega who’d lived here all their life. When you came up, and you were so…different. It does have something to do with the fact that you’re from Nekoma, but, more so it’s just that I was very happy not to be forced to mate with another caged bird.”

Kuroo picked idly at his arugula.

“Caged bird…huh? Call me a lot of things, you couldn’t call me that.”

Kei furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean by that?”

Kuroo waved his free hand. “Nothing, nothing, just that I’ve…well, I’ve been around."

Tsukishima felt like the word 'around' was being used in the vaguest of terms here, however, he chose for the moment not to press on it.

He wouldn't have gotten the chance, seeing as Tetsurou continued talking after a breath. "Anyway, I have a few questions for you. Like, for starters, am I going to get to see my friends anytime soon? I want to make sure they’re alright.”

Kei was, again, frozen.

Since Kuroo was such a unique case, it was a difficult question to answer.

Typically, the answer would be a resounding no.

He was officially upon the royal stage, he couldn’t mix with commoners, which was what his friends were. However, the One had always been of an upper or, for the most part, noble class family until now. Therefore, the One had been able to see their loved ones, simply because their loved ones, too, had the prestige to enter the royal palace to visit without question.

So, instead of answering directly, the prince instead skillfully answered the question with a question.

“Your friends? The ones, as you said last night, that you ran around the ‘big wide world’ with?”

Kuroo stabbed a sliced piece of sausage rather aggressively.

“Yup. Them. So?” He fixed Kei with a dead stare in reply, clearly not about to elaborate further.

_Well, that didn’t work at all._

Kei took another bite of food to buy himself a few more seconds before deciding honesty was the best policy.

No point in pissing Tetsurou off over nothing.

“To be completely straight, I don’t know for certain. You’re the first lower class omega to have been the One, and so, by the old rules the answer to your question should be no, you can’t see them.”

He could see the raven taking a breath to retort, gloved fingers fisting tightly around his fork.

“However…” The prince raised a hand as a request to be allowed to finish.

“…since it is such a different situation, I’m going to ask my Father about it this afternoon when I see her. Given a few weeks time, I’m certain she’ll be able to work around the rule so you can see them.”

“Weeks?” Kuroo seemed about to complain before puffing his cheeks.

Kei probably shouldn’t have thought of the face he was making as adorable, but here he was.

“…I guess if that’s the best you can do.”

Kei gave him a sincere expression.

“I give you my word, I’ll do my best to hurry the process along, but the government loves to do things the hard way. Trust me, I grew up in it.”

Tetsurou snickered bitterly.

“Yeah…no, I understand.”

Another pregnant pause.

“Really, I do. Thanks.”

Kei just then realized something rather alarming to him.

So far in this conversation, by barely saying anything, the omega before him had successfully uncovered his fascination with the outside world, convinced him to drop his typical snarky facade, and gotten him to give his word without a second thought.

_Then again, that was more of me just trying to make him happy._

Somehow, this realization only managed to make Kei even more disgruntled with the situation.

“So, if I might ask another thing, you did mention that you lived in the 3rd Quarter. Can I assume this means you had a job?”

“Or four.” Kuroo replied blankly, eyes focused on his plate.

The blonde wilted.

_The mention of not seeing his friends totally destroyed that good mood…maybe…_

“Alright…so these friends of yours…what are they like?”

Tetsurou shrugged, propping his chin up on the back of his gloved hand.

“One’s short and perpetually angry, and the other is an apathetic bitch who can’t communicate worth a damn. Or wait, I shouldn’t be cursing right?”

_And there goes the comfortable way of speaking…_

Kei thought miserably as he watched Tetsurou’s face flush awkwardly, his head turning away as if to deter further conversation.

_Then, as much as I’m curious about his past, for now, perhaps shifting the focus to myself would be for the best._

“In my case, I haven’t had the chance to make much of an acquaintance with anyone. There’s Tadashi, who I’ve known since I was very young, as well as Daichi-san, Noya-san, and Shouyou. They all grew up alongside myself within the highest noble factions of the kingdom. Well, technically Tadashi is not a noble, however, he is the son of the high adviser. Still, upper class, I suppose, would encompass him. Suga-san, Asahi-san, and Tobio didn’t arrive here until after their courtships with the prior mentioned became prominent enough that they moved in to prepare for matehood. Tobio only arrived here about a year ago. Suga-san had been here for four years, and Asahi-san for two. ”

Tetsurou smirked. “Not much of an entourage, you claim, yet I’ve already lost count.”

_At least we’re back to comfortable methods of speech._

Kei consoled himself before speaking again.

“Seven hardly counts as a crowd.” He insisted.

Kuroo leaned back in his chair slightly, his plate having been cleaned in the period of time during which Kei had been speaking.

_He eats so quickly…but barely makes a sound._

Tsukki had to admit the speed at which the omega had finished the meal ticked another fearful factor in his head.

_A habit to eat quickly and silently…I’ll have to ponder that more and see where it fits…after all, any information I’m able to gather from his actions means less I’ll have to coax out of him with his words. I’ll have to mull over my observances so far later today._

Tetsurou raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it doesn’t, but you’re talking to someone who’s only had two friends his entire life.”

Kei dared a small smile. “Surely you’ve managed more than two.”

_Bad topic._

It was marked in an instant within the blondes head when he saw that shadowed expression return to Kuroo’s face.

As if he was recalling friendly faces that, for one reason or another, he would never see again.

“Yeah…I guess…”

The words slipped out in a tense manner.

The prince cursed his own curiosity.

_For one who’s built his confidence on an ability to read people, such as I, to continue pressing into territory that so obviously makes Kuroo-san uncomfortable would be horribly uncouth of me. Especially since my first goal is to gain Kuroo-san’s trust more fully than simply the fact he has no choice but to be here._

The rest of breakfast Kei used his usual tactics to fill the silence, careful to focus more on divulging information about himself, as opposed to pressing too deeply into the raven-haired man's life.

Even so, he’d managed to glean a few small pieces. In passing, Tetsurou had mentioned one of his friends accidentally bleaching his hair blonde in a factory accident where they worked, and they’d never figured out how to turn it black again. Something to do with one of clothes dye canisters exploding in his face.

Apparently the now blonde hadn’t cared much either way, so they’d just left it. It had been harder to find a replacement for his ruined clothes.

Though, once more, Kei made note, and so his mental list of things he knew for certain about his court mate grew.

_Firstly, I know he grew up somewhere in southern Nekoma, somewhere closer to Johzenji than Karasuno._

_Secondly, I know he ran away from home at some point in his teens, since, as he’s 21, and moved to Karasuno 2 years ago, he would have been about 19 when he first came here. Then, I also have not discarded the possibility that he left home even younger than that._

_Thirdly, I know the closest thing to family he has are two friends, fellow omegas, whom I believe it is safe to assume he ran away with, considering he mentioned knowing them his whole life. One is considerably short as well as short-tempered, and the other has blonde hair with black roots, as I learned from the story about the factory accident._

_Fourthly, I know he has a negative view of himself in omegian terms, to which I can only hope Suga-san will be able to assist._

Amongst other tidbits, these were ones he felt were the most valuable.

After breakfast, he’d walked Kuroo back to his chambers, where Suga was already waiting to begin his lessons. Kei smiled softly at the memory of the look Tetsurou had given him as he was leaving to do his work in his own chambers.

_Something like ‘please don’t leave me with him!’_

Kei couldn’t help but snicker at the thought.

_Hopefully, Suga-san won’t be too hard on him._

Kei arrived back in his room and leaned on the door heavily, allowing it to fall shut behind him.

_Alone._

Sweet solace, in the company of no-one but his own thoughts.

_Now…_

Kei walked slowly into his room, turning into his study. A room packed wall to wall with bookcases, with a large high back chair lined with a warm colored brown leather. His desk was of a reddish wood, polished to a shine, and the surface was scattered with materials. Everything from books on historical warfare, to complex math equations, scribbled out on corners of napkins, to a teetering stack of books just waiting to be devoured by Kei's ever hungering mind. His near obsessive curiosity had made his study the home to origami manuals, jigsaw puzzles, art reviews, and just about anything else you could come up with. 

It was quite the collect, especially for a boy only a day past eighteen. 

He shut the door to the study behind himself once again and began to pace, circling his desk in slow, measured footsteps as he considered another topic he hoped desperately he was incorrect about.

_Perhaps I’m reading too far into it…I pray I am. The only reason I am is that I saw a similar reaction when I visited the city orphanage, where children who were either rescued by police or abandoned by their parents live._

Kei swallowed, putting a gloved hand to his chin.

_I noticed, particularly in the children who suffered abuse, that they seemed awfully speedy at mealtimes. They were also frighteningly quiet, to the point where, by the time they were done, I hadn’t even realized they’d touched their food. I suspect it has something to do with being thought of a nuisance and wanting to escape such an area as the dinner table, where it is likely they’d be eating with their abusers. It mirrored Kuroo-san’s behavior exactly._

Kei sighed. _Of course, it is not outside the realm of possibility. After all, my facts would line up perfectly with Kuroo-san having been mistreated as a child. He ran away from home at a young age, with two other omegas, all the way to a different country. As he put it, they spent a lot of time ‘running around the big wide world’ before they settled here, inferring that they left home much younger than the 18-19 year old range Kuroo-san would have been in when he arrived in the capital._

Tsukki groaned, sitting down heavily into his chair.

_All of this speculation is utterly pointless._

He leaned his head back against the backrest of his chair.

_Even so…the thought of someone mistreating him so, to the point he would take his dearest friends and run away…_

His grip on the armrest tightened. He knew if he weren’t wearing gloves at the moment, he’d be able to see his knuckles turning white.

Exhaling slowly, the second prince released his grip one finger at a time.

_I cannot get so infuriated over an occurrence that was years ago now. What matters is that Kuroo-san is here now._

Kei turned his eyes to the paper he was currently writing on current standings in the kingdom. The scholarly pursuits had aways been an excellent way to fill his time.

_And as long as he’s here, with my power as royalty, I’ll allow no harm to befall him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Kei's now feeling the tiniest bit protective of his new court mate, who would have guessed? Please drop a comment down below! They help Kei unravel the mystery of Tetsurou's past! Also, leave kudos if you've never been here before, and thanks so much for reading!


	7. Seven for a Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Alright! What do I have to do in order to humiliate myself the least?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And in this chapter, the title of the story finally starts making sense! :D Hooray! Please enjoy~

**_Three Weeks Later_ **

 

“OW!”   
****

Yamaguchi was currently hopping up and down clutching at his big toe through the top of his boot.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry!” His current dancing partner, the One himself, was looking rather apologetic as this was the seventh time he’s managed to crush one of Tadashi’s feet.

Their height difference was already making things complicated, with Kuroo being a fair bit taller than Tadashi, and also, as it seemed, being an awful dancer.

Suga put a hand to his forehead wordlessly.

“What? At least tell me that was an improvement!” Kuroo demanded when he saw this reaction from his new teacher.

“It’s like you have two left feet, Tetsu!” The silver-haired omega exclaimed as he waved to Shouyou, who in turn whirled to turn off the phonograph.

The music came to halt as Shouyou lifted the needle, then he turned back to the other three.

“You’re doing much better than last week, Kuroo-san! Don’t get discouraged!”

Tetsurou shook his head fondly.

_I really do see how everyone calls him the little sunshine around here._

“Thanks, Shouyou…and as for you, I’m trying my best! And since when did I say you could call me by my first name, much less ‘Tetsu’?”

Koushi put his palms to the ceiling. “I thought it sounded cute.”

Kuroo had several rather aggressive arguments to put up to that, but before any could come to fruition, a high pitched squeal came from up above.

“Onii-chan, look at me!”

Hinata looked up and immediately turned several shades pale.

“NATSU! What are you doing up there?” Suga cried out.

Sure enough, a little girl with pigtails in the same shade of bright orange as Shouyou was standing on the railing up above them. She was wearing a white dress shirt with an orange vest crisscrossed with black stripes, and a pair of black slacks tucked into her boots.

As an unpresented, Natsu could wear any type of clothing she desired, however, she seemed to lean more towards pants than dresses.

At least, in the couple times that Tetsurou had seen her around in the past few weeks.

“How did you get up there? Come down right now!” Shouyou shouted, already rushing towards the stairwell at the side of the large dining area that had been left empty for dancing practice.

Natsu was standing on the railing of an enclave that looked down upon the dining area. She was a good fourteen feet above the floor of the room.

“Kay…” She grumbled, seeming to be unhappy with the lackluster response to her grand entrance.

As she lifted up one foot to climb down, her supporting leg slipped to the side of the round railing.

The wrong side.

She let out a shriek as she slipped, falling off the railing and towards an unforgiving tile floor.

Well, not if the newest member of the palace group had anything to say about it.

Kuroo had moved before anyone else had even realized Natsu was about to fall, he seemed to shoot across the rather large distance between the falling girl and where he’d been standing in the middle of the room in an instant.

He caught her, barely, only to come face to face with a new problem.

That is, the solid stone wall right in front of him. If he put on the brakes now, he’d likely wind up accidentally bashing Natsu’s head off it.

So, he did the next thing instinct provided.

He hugged her to his chest and jumped up, planting a foot on the wall, and kicked off, doing a full backflip and landing on his feet again, Natsu safely in his grasp.

It was a stunning display.

That is until he tripped on the back of his own skirt and toppled onto his rear.

Everything was completely silent for a moment before Tetsurou shook his head twice and looked to the child in his arms.

“Hey, you ok?” He asked.

She had fisted two hands into the front of his top shirt in terror, when she finally managed to pry her eyes open, she looked up at him with tears welling up the corners.

“You…caught me?”

Kuroo exhaled slowly. “Yup…I did. You’re alright, aren’t you?”

She nodded softly, and that was when her brother came flying back around from the stairwell again.

“NATSU!” He shouted, snatching his sister from the older omegas grasp.

“What was that!? Why would you do something so dangerous!? You could have been so badly hurt if Kuroo-san didn’t catch you! Why were you even up there in the first place? Never ever do that again! ”

He scolded, clutching her tightly to his chest.

As Hinata continued to lecture his little sister, Suga walked over in shock and, after a moment, managed to offer Kuroo a hand up.

“How did you…you did a…so fast…”

Tetsurou gave an awkward cough as he let himself be pulled to his feet. “Uh…yeah…I guess I picked up some tricks like that while I was still a street rat?”

He then gestured to the wall.

“It’s a great way to dodge someone, charge at a wall, they’ll chase you, suddenly you do a flip and what? While they’re so shocked you jumped right over them, you bolt!”

Tetsurou grinned cheekily at the end to this little tutorial.

No one noted how it was a bit forced. Just a bit like he wanted to brush this incident under the rug as soon as possible.

Suga raised an eyebrow. “What did you people chase you for?”

Kuroo crossed his arms. “I get the feeling you’re making assumptions.”

Suga shook his head. “Ok, ok, I’ll drop it. _For now._ ”

Dance practice continued as before, and unlike how light he’d been on his feet to pull off such a stunt as how he’d shot across the room like a bullet to protect the child he’d just caught, Kuroo became just as heavy footed and uncoordinated as before.

Another twenty minutes went by, and Shouyou, who had left to escort Natsu safely back to her studies, returned, this time with his mate in tow.

“I brought Tobio, Suga-san!” The short omega reported as he walked back into the room, pulling the blue-eyed alpha by the hand.

“You wanted me for something?” Kageyama asked, looking wary.

Suga clapped his hands. “Yes! We need a demonstration of the Summer Ball’s first dance, and since Daichi is busy I don’t have a partner, which means you two will do!”

Hinata let out an enthused shout.

“Yay! This will be so much fun! We haven’t danced in forever!”

Tobio raised an eyebrow down to him.

“We danced at the Selection Ceremony. Three weeks ago.”

“Too long! I love dancing! We should do it more often!” Shouyou insisted, turning to him.

Kageyama shook his head. “Whatever makes you happy, dumbass.”

“You can’t say something nice and then insult me to make it sound less nice!” Shouyou scolded.

“Stop with the bickering, you two! Tadashi, switch the records!” Suga waved eagerly to the royal attendant, who made his way over to the phonograph to do just that.

Kuroo stood by with Suga, crossing his arms.

“The Summer Ball has its own designated dance?” Kuroo asked.

Suga shrugged. “More or less. If I were to nitpick, it’s more of a first dance that’s played at most royal parties. Though the Summer Ball is the one time of year where it’s played as an introduction for the royal family. For the last couple years Akiteru and his mate have danced it, but this year it’s going to serve as your royal debut. After all, by then you’ll be a princess for real.”

Tetsurou had to get the thought of the fact that, yes, he’d be getting mated within the next ten months, out of his head, and focused more on the task at hand.

“So this is the dance that I’ll do with Tsukki?” He asked.

Suga nodded, and at this point, Yamaguchi had switched the records.

Whatever Kuroo had been expecting, this was not it.

He’d been thinking of some slow, graceful sweep around the dance floor, with the occasional spin here and there, perhaps.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

The couple before him was a blur of motion, quick steps carrying them in a hurry in a spiral around the room, bodies pressed close, twirling in time with the music over and over again. They stepped apart for a moment and each seemed to be performing their own specific parts, before Shouyou took his skirt with one hand and spun back into Tobio's arms. They kept going, at one point Tobio spun Shouyou under his arm several times, another point had them spinning breathlessly fast, Shouyou’s skirt sweeping back and forth in time with the music. It was electric, they were moving with such speed and grace that you'd think they were one single, fluid entity.

The entire song lasted a little under four minutes, but by the time it was over, with Suga applauding their performance, Tetsurou had felt any confidence he’d had in his mediocre dancing ability go out the window.

“I’m…gonna have to do _that_?” Kuroo demanded, pointing aggressively at where the Kageyama’s were now standing back where they’d started in the middle of the dance floor.

Shouyou tossed his arms up, grinning ear to ear, his face slightly flushed from the exercise. “It’s so much fun! You’ll love it! Plus, you get to do it as the first dance, before anyone else is allowed to dance, so you have the whole floor, and everyone will be watching you!”

Tetsurou wilted. “Define ‘everyone’.”

“The Summer Ball is the biggest event of the year in Karasuno. Royals from each of the six kingdoms will be represented, as well as some foreign envoys from both on and off the continent, who will be here to rub elbows with the other rich and influential people who will attend. Not to mention pretty much the entire upper nobility.” Yamaguchi provided.

Kuroo groaned, raking his hands through his hair.

“Fantastic.” He grumbled.

“And I have to do _that_ specific dance? No other options? Maybe one at an intermidate level?” He decided he may as well clarify.

“Nope! It's gotta be that one!” Hinata chirped, with Tobio giving an exasperated nod.

Tetsurou pinched the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand, gave a very slow exhale, and then looked up.

“Alright! What do I have to do in order to humiliate myself the least?”

Suga threw his fist into the air. “That’s the spirit! Shouyou, switch the record again, we’ll run through what we were just practicing. Yamaguchi, get in there!”

As the young alpha was aggressively shoved back towards his dance partner, Hinata rushed across towards the phonograph. Tobio was on his heels, though likely only to get out of the danger zone that the dance floor was about to become.

Practice went on for another hour or so, and by the end of it, Yamaguchi, felt as if he’d nearly had his toes broken multiple times.

Despite the residual aching in his feet from so much dancing, he was making tracks quickly back to Kei’s chambers to bring him news of the eventful afternoon.

“Tsukki!” He shouted as soon as he barged through the door. Typically he’d knock, but he was eager, and Kei had insisted many times that he dispense with such formalities.

Moments later the prince appeared, leaning out from the door to his study.

His eyes were weary, as if he’d been working particularly hard on something.

“Tsukki, you will not believe what happened this afternoon with Kuroo-san!”

Kei sighed, lifting his glasses as if to wipe away the exhaustion.

He’d been studying up on Nekoma’s history and culture in his free time. After all,  he’d yet to breach the topic of anything further into the past than the 2 years Kuroo had been in Karasuno.

Therefore, he’d not heard a single concrete thing involving Tetsurou’s history when he’d been in Nekoma itself. He was hoping that by learning more about their kingdoms neighbors to the south, he’d be able to find something that would allow him to crack through the towering walls Kuroo had built around any knowledge of his past.

He’d gotten particularly absorbed in reading about Nekoma’s guild system, which seemed to be something extremely popular over there. Guilds for every sort of craft existed, where people could join, take on requests, and get paid.

_Karasuno has a guilds system as well, but the main difference is that the guilds here are under government regulation. In Nekoma, as I’ve read, the guilds are private operations, each of them being regulated by a council separate from the government. There’s also even guilds who strike out from the council, but since the government has no involvement with the guilds, the council can do nothing about it, and the government doesn’t seem to think it high on their list of priorities._

It all really was quite fascinating, and he’d gotten so caught up pouring over the information pertaining to guilds that he’d been rather startled when Yamaguchi had entered, revealing that he’d just spent two hours reading when he’d intended to only indulge himself for twenty minutes.

“What is it, Tadashi?” The prince prompted his friend to speak.

When the brunette had finished recounting the tale of Tetsurou’s incredible method of rescuing Natsu from such a terrible fall, Kei was rendered speechless.

He’d always suspected Kuroo to be out of the ordinary, but being able to instinctually react with a move like that?

Kei put a hand to his forehead as he paced back into his study.

Tadashi gave chase.

“Tsukki…is something wrong? I thought you’d be pretty impressed.”

The blonde shook his head slowly.

“I am…I am, in fact, amazed that he could manage something like that so fluidly, and while managing to protect Natsu at the same time. Not to mention he was wearing a full day dress, so that couldn’t have helped.”

Tadashi snorted. “Yeah, he tripped over the back of his skirt and fell over after he landed.”

Kei hummed. “That just means that if he were wearing a shorter skirt, he would have easily landed on his feet.”

Yamaguchi considered it for a moment, realizing now that Kei was reading into this, as he would anything else.

So he opted for a joke.

“Well, he is from Nekoma! And you know what they say, cats always land on their feet!” He exclaimed, hoping to earn a disgruntled ‘shut up, Tadashi’ from the prince before the matter would be momentarily forgotten.

However, right at this moment, Kei was staring out the window, his face pale, as though he'd just seen a ghost.

“Tsukki?”

The prince spoke slowly.

“I’m superstitious to a degree…”

_That’s a random statement._

The assistant thought to himself.

“Yeah, aren’t we all?” Was his reply.

_Is this about the cat thing? I didn’t think a saying like that counted as superstition…_

“Tadashi, do you remember the Crow Rhyme? The one we used to sing as children when we’d spin in a circle outside?”

“Doesn’t every kid in Karasuno know it? How did it go again…”

Yamaguchi took a moment, struggling to recall the tempo of the childhood rhyme he’d been taught to sing at 4 years old.

“Oh yeah!”

He began, his voice taking on a slow tempo, as he recalled the way they’d run in circles, clapping their hands to the rhythm.

“One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a mating, four for a birth, right?”

Kei nodded. “Five for silver…six for gold…”

Tadashi walked up behind Kei and looked out at whatever the prince had been so transfixed by.

Seated on the decorative molding of the windowsill across the way, seemingly staring right at the window, right at the two alphas inside, were seven crows, all lined up in a row.

He felt his heart skip a beat at the beady black eyes seeming to stare right through him.

.

.

.

**_“…seven for a secret never to be told.”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! So, the plot thickens, huh? And in other news, I have no clue how to describe dancing. I sorta just winged it, hopefully, it makes at least a little sense. Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo land on his feet next time, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!!! ^-^


	8. Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t think you’re being clever, alright?”
> 
> “I know what you’re doing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, joining Kei and Tetsurou at dinner the evening of the day Tetsurou revealed he was a parkour wizard XD Please enjoy!

**_That Night._ **

 

 

Tetsurou was grumbling about something to do with Suga being to harsh, or expecting to much, or ‘hey, who’s bright idea was it to have literally everyone watch the first dance?’, however, Kei was much busier looking at his court mate from a purely analytical standpoint.

He didn’t see any visible signs of something that could allude to any sort of dark secret. Then again, it wasn’t as though Kuroo was showing much skin, being dressed for dinner as he was.

_Thinking back, I’ve never seen Tetsurou-san any further than what day dresses will allow. Other than the dress he wore at the Ceremony. Of course, there’s not too much to gather from the view of someone's forearms, and back then I wasn’t even looking._

He’d tried to shake it off multiple times, and yet, the sight of the seven crows sitting neatly in a row, all seemingly staring right at him, had been too much to ignore.

Kuroo was secretive, that much was for sure.

However, it could just as easily have to do with not wanting to recall painful memories. He had every right to keep his past firmly in the past, and he’d already made it obvious he had no plans of speaking more than generally about his life before he came to Karasuno.

_Is it really right of me to feel so uneasy? He’s given me no reason to doubt him, and according to Tadashi, he gave Suga a perfectly reasonable explanation for why he’s so light on his feet._

“…Tsukki? Are you even listening?”

“Ah! Of course, sorry, I zoned out for a moment.” The blonde hummed.

The raven-haired man looked skeptic.

“You zoned out? You never zone out.”

Kei smirked. “Unfortunately, it happens to minds even as great as mine.”

“What? You didn’t need to turn that around so you could brag about yourself!”

“I didn’t.”

“Braggart!”

“Am not.”

“Oh yeah? Mr. ‘I just finished a collective series of the historical significance of the ancient Fukurodani ice mummies…hmm how utterly fascinating…’” Kuroo put two fingers to the bridge of his nose as if to imitate how Kei would push up his glasses.

“Now that’s going a little far!” The prince protested, which only caused Tetsurou to start laughing behind a black gloved hand.

At the very least, Kei could take solace in the fact that he and Tetsurou had seemingly developed something of a relationship. The awkward overthought speech from when they’d first met had faded away completely over the weeks. Every day as they shared their meals together, it got more and more comfortable. Kei started to see past his secret keeping, birth kingdom, and his atypical appearance and realized there was even more about Tetsurou to be fascinated by.

His personality.

One of many witty remarks, quick comebacks, and a sly genius that Kei sometimes pondered how to imitate. It was different from Tsukki, who was so well educated, by some of the greatest scholars from around the world.

Kuroo, despite what the title of runaway might infer, was fairly well read, knew much about geography and politics specifically, and had even held an impressive debate with Kei over the merits of the guild systems in their respective home kingdoms.

In fact, it as one of the few times he’d gotten Tetsurou to openly talk about his time in Nekoma. Despite the fact that he’d learned no new information about his omega in the process, it was still nice to hear the name of the kingdom fall from his lips without the accompanying shadowy expression.

When the thought of that expression came through Kei’s mind again, he felt his good mood beginning to sink like a stone.

“What’s up? You seem weirdly down tonight. Not that you don’t _always_ look like someone spit in your tea, but still.” Kuroo commented, waggling his fork between two fingers as he lazily poked at his food. It seemed he wasn't particularly hungry.

“Spit in my tea?” Kei was bewildered.

Kuroo waved his aforementioned fork nonchalantly. “Turn of phrase, so what’s the deal?”

Tsukishima hesitated.

After all, he could just be honest. Perhaps that would sway Kuroo’s currently hardened resolve to keep everything from his past firmly in the past.

Then, it could also backfire in more ways than one. Tetsurou always got uncomfortable and defensive whenever his past was brought up, and besides, he hadn’t even asked about his friends in some time, which might have been pointing towards him expecting Kei to take care of things.

_His friends!_

How had he not thought of it before? The priority to get Tetsurou’s friends into the palace suddenly skyrocketed, not that it hadn’t already been at the top of his list. After all, they’d known Kuroo for his entire life, if what few times Tetsurou had spoken of them was to be believed.

Perhaps one of them would be looser lipped?

The instant he considered such an option he felt ashamed.

_I should be trying to get them into the palace for his own happiness, not to find out more about him._

However, his curiosity, which many had called his greatest strength and his biggest weakness, won him over.

_Naturally, it would be for his happiness. That's my top priority, and will continue to be…however, I would still get to meet them in the process…and if I happened to glean a bit more information from them on the by…well there would be no harm in that, would there?_

“Tsukki!”

The alpha jumped.

Kuroo was glaring at him, looking rather huffy.

“Something is up! That’s twice now!”

Kei turned his gaze back to Tetsurou.

“Nothing, just thinking about how to bring up your stunt this afternoon.”

The raven-haired omega immediately shrank, the fork he’d been brandishing at Kei lowering slightly.

“Oh…so Yamaguchi told you about that?”

“Indeed.”

Tetsurou sighed heavily, as if exasperated, as he dropped his aforementioned piece of silverware to the table with a clatter.

“It wasn’t anything fancy, so what, I can do a backflip, big whoop.” He twirled a finger in the air in lackluster excitement to accentuate his point.

“It wasn’t the backflip I’m so impressed by. It was the fact that performing one was your first reaction when faced with such a situation.”

Kuroo threw an arm up. “If I had just stopped I would have bashed Natsu’s head off the wall, and where would the point in catching her have gone to then?”

Kei swallowed.

_In such a moment where he had less than a second to react, he realized he couldn’t simply stop and made the decision that would best further his goal of protecting Natsu?_

Tsukishima frowned slightly, after all, that fact was far more interesting than the fact his omega was apparently a bit of an acrobat.

“You must have done such a thing as that dozens, no, hundreds of times for it to be second nature like that. Who taught you that move, Tetsurou-san? One of your friends?”

The recently accepted first name basis, despite the still present honorific, didn’t seem to help his case much.

“Well…” Again, that uncomfortable dodging of eye contact reappeared as the omega trailed off, seeming unwilling to answer the question.

“Let’s just say we learned together.”

Kei felt a pang of irritation.

_So vague. Maybe if I can direct conversation over to his friends again I can get a few more stories out of him. At the very least, it’ll give me more background information about these two friends, so I can try to figure out if I could get more information out of them._

“So did you all go to school together? Before you left home, that is?”

Kuroo’s eyes went back to that shadowy place again.

_Mentioning his hometown directly has always been a red flag, however, I wouldn't know if it still is unless I try._

Was Kei’s excuse for this overstep.

“No. Weren’t any schools were I grew up.” Was Tetsurou’s one tone answer.

His voice had grown shorter, but Kei was too pleased with gaining another sliver of information to care.

“Really? Hm…well, I suppose I never got to go to a proper school either…however, I did have personal tutors so I was likely better off. Who taught you to read, then?”

“Don’t remember.”

Kei was reaching the red zone, and he knew it, but he was getting impatient. In his life previously, nothing had fascinated him so much as the secrets surrounding his betrothed, and in this past month, it had slowly grown to take up a large portion of his thoughts. To the point where, despite him not realizing it, it was becoming more about the information, and less about getting to know Tetsurou himself.

In the past, he’d never had to wait long for information he wanted. If he wanted to know anything specific, the palace had a staggeringly huge library. If somehow, the information he wanted was not present there, all it took was a word with the libraries keeper, and a week or two later books on the topic he desired would arrive at the palace door. He’d always been spoiled in means of access, and with his curious mind, he chewed through those things until it felt natural. He expected to receive the details he so desired on the short term.

This impatience was a direct result of his social standing, which gave him access to any book, any tutor, any university, with nothing but a few words from his mouth.

So, as he continued pressing, perhaps this was the issue. For the first time, the answers he yearned for weren’t contained in some rare book, or some prized document, or in the mind of some scholar or foreign envoy.  
It was all locked away into a single source, into Kuroo Tetsurou, who was the first person on the planet to withhold the knowledge that the alpha prince craved.

“That’s a pity…my older brother often read to me when I was younger. Although I was taught by a proper tutor…my Father read to me when I was _very_ young, but not to the degree my brother did…in fact, much of the time I spent with him as a child was listening to him read me stories."

_Right now is when I should be switching back to talking about myself or other topics unrelated to Tetsurou-san…however, I’m just so close…_

“May I ask, then, did you grow up in a pack? Did one of the older members teach you, maybe?”

There was a drastic change in the atmosphere of the meal, just then.

The mention of a former pack to Kuroo, it seemed to have struck a nerve.

Hard.

_“It’s nothing I want to talk about.”_

The omega snapped, slamming his palm down onto the table with such force that the plates and silverware rattled.

Kei was shocked.

Instead of his usual deflecting, the raven-haired man had flat out told him.

Tetsurou then leaned forward, propping his chin up on the back of his hand and fixing Tsukishima with a cold stare.

“Don’t think you’re being clever, alright?”

His voice was suddenly airy and threatening.

He sounded dangerous. Intuitively, somehow, when Tsukishima heard this tone of voice, something in him was telling him to _run_.

Yet he couldn’t. He was frozen in place.

“I know what you’re doing.”

Kei felt that stare as though it were an arrow in the chest, it felt like it was a physical attack on his person, striking him a harsh blow.

The awkward flushed faces and shy sideways glances, or the mirthful, teasing expressions, or those gloating eyes that seemed to know something Kei desperately _wanted_ to know, or the softened gaze that came up whenever Tsukki would go on a tangent about a book that had particularly caught his interest that day.

Those faces, those eyes, could not compare to the darkness hiding in the slate gray orbs before him now.

“You want to know.”

Not like the alpha could deny it.

Kuroo waved a hand lightly as if this was still normal.

As if something hadn’t been broken inside himself that would never be completely repaired.

“I don’t blame you. However, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop thinking you can pressure your way past my walls. If you respected me at all you’d back off, and wait for a day when I’m ok with telling you where I’m from and how I got here on my own.”

_He saw through me._

The carefully thought out questions and gentle probing and prodding hadn’t gone unnoticed as he’d suspected.

Kuroo had been waiting for him to take the hint without being direct.

He was hoping that the alphian prince would realize how much it hurt him to think of the past. Tsukishima had selfishly pushed onward despite all of the warning signs telling him to turn back.

Now, this was the final straw.

Tetsurou had given up on Kei now.

The alpha suddenly felt as though he were betraying something that was very fragile, and coming close to letting it shatter completely.

Before Kei could think any further, Kuroo had pushed his chair back and stood up.

“By the way…I would rather you don’t involve my friends in this. They’re just like me, and clearly, you don’t _like_ people like me. The ones who can see right through you.”

Standing just behind the alphas chair now, Tetsurou let out a soft, humorless laugh.

“Here I was, thinking you were going to be different than the rest. ‘I like atypical’ you said…and I actually believed you. You seemed so honest. The old me would never have fallen for it.”

Again, he snickered, but it sounded so cold, now, that it was hard to believe that noise could have ever been anything more than a signal of heartbreak.

“‘The old me…ha, that’s probably just another bit of information to piece into your puzzle, isn’t it? That’s all I am to you, after all. Just something interesting to fill up all your wasted time. You’re just a damn spoiled prince after all.”

With that, Kuroo walked out, abandoning Kei at the table, still frozen in place, still trying to rationalize how badly he’d hurt the one that after these short weeks, he’d been daring to begin to love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...that went south pretty quick, huh? Tsukki pushed him a little too far this time! Please drop a comment down below, they help Tsukki realize he's made a HUGE mistake, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	9. The Crack in the Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do I even begin to apologize?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little short, but that's ok because I plan to update within the next few days anyway, so bear with me! :)  
> Please enjoy~

**_Kuroo’s Chambers._ **

 

 

_This a bad idea…_

Tetsurou considered as he pulled his old boots out of the back of his wardrobe. They were still in the exact spot he’d dropped them when he’d first arrived over a month ago, buried away behind silken undershirts and stockings, and cloaked by the hanging lacy skirts of dozens of finely tailored gowns.

All of this for him, with his newfound home, and newfound position, he'd come to accept that this was simply how people of his rank lived. 

How _he_ was too live. He'd been so lucky, after all. Out of all the omegas in the kingdom, or, let's be honest, the capital, since that _the bag_ had to have been at least a little rigged, it had been him. His name had emerged from that stupid sack on that stupid ornate table on the royal stage.

Now here he was, just as the rules dictated. It wasn't the rules altogether that were bothering him. It was one specific requirement of being here.

The prince. His courtship with that prince, that is.

_ I thought I could trust him...I thought I could count on him. I'd hoped he'd let the curiousity fade...about where I'm from, what I've done. I'm an idiot. I never trust anyone, not since I've been on the road. Yet he snagged me right away, with just a few words...that he didn't care how different I look, that he liked me anyway. I believed him. Hoped for once in my life I might have met someone who wouldn't take me for face value. _

He then started digging around through the wide array of dresses that had been tailored for him since he’d arrived.

_Too long, too lacy, too heavy, too hard to get on…oh, screw it..._

He pulled out his old dress, it had been discarded into one of the drawers of the wardrobe, but it was still more or less in one piece. That hole he’d been complaining about in the sleeve was still there, but other than that it was alright.

More importantly, the skirt was shorter, which gave him the freedom the royal dresses distinctly lacked.

He pulled it on, hastily tying the sash into a sloppy bow.

_I’m overreacting._

He accused himself as he dragged his boots on, watching the month old mud clods that he’d been so worried about on his first day fall onto the soft carpet floor. He fumbled with the belt that held one of them on, recalling it’d been weeks since he’d last had to lace his shoes up himself.

He turned and made his way rapidly to the window.

Thunder boomed.

The clap was massive, so much so it shook the building slightly. It also shook Kuroo out of his own head, and that was when he paused. There was an absolute torrent of rain falling, large heavy drops that were splattering loudly on his window.

He stood there for a moment, feeling like he was on the precipice of making a terrible decision.

_An omega from another kingdom…who’s been poor his whole life…gets the one in a million chance to be the One. The One omega that was chosen through the Selection Ceremony to be mated to the prince himself. To become royalty, befriend nobility, and live in the lap of luxury for the rest of his life._

Kuroo pressed a hand to the cool glass windowpane.

_That’s me._

His forehead came next, and he took small comfort in the coolness that spread across his skin, he’d been rather heated ever since calling Kei out in the dining room, and it had only gotten worse as he’d stalked up here.

_And I’m about to throw it all down the drain…and be nothing but a runaway again?_

Runaway.

That word pretty much defined his life.

He’d run away from his hometown.

He’d run away from his old friends.

He’d run away from his mistakes.

Hell, being here even felt like running away from Morisuke and Kenma, who were the closest things he had to family.

_Where will we go after this? Can’t stay in Karasuno…there’ll be a manhunt for me. Of course…that wouldn’t be anything new. We’ve stayed one step ahead so far, what’s the harm in adding one more to the list? Besides…I was nothing more than another form of entertainment to Tsukki, and I doubt he’ll bat an eyelash if I run off after how I talked to him tonight._

Just like that, memories of the past weeks came to him, of a smiling face, kind comments, and snarky remarks.

How he’d catch the alpha watching him from the corner of his eye, looking utterly fascinated with every step he took.

Something startlingly similar to what he imagined love would look like filled those spectacle covered eyes.

He violently shook his head, black spiky hair waving too and fro.

_No…no, no, no! He was fascinated with me, of course he was. Because I was different, I was secretive, and I was the first interesting thing to come into his life in years. I can’t honestly blame him for wanting to know more but…the way he went about it. If he’d been more straightforward, I might have told him more about when I was younger. Before Mori, Kitten and I ran away…but nothing after that._

He almost laughed at the thought.

_Pre-teen years, I wouldn’t mind giving a few clues. But 11-19 is strictly off limits._

How pathetic.

He curled his fingers into a fist against the window, looking down at the garden before him. This kingdom, which, in the position he now stood, he had a very real chance of being the queen of one day. At the very least, he was guaranteed to be the princess.

The sprawling industrial empire that rolled out in front of him, all there for the taking. All he had to do was stay right here, which in and of itself wasn't an unattractive proposal.

Get mated to the handsome prince, go from rags to riches. It was all laid out for him, like the stars had aligned to finally give him something good in his life, which up until now had been comprised almost entirely of mistakes and bad memories.

He was really going to run away from what, to most omegas, was a dream come true?

Just to go back into that uncertain life where he didn't know what _city_ , what _country_ , what _continent_ , upon which he'd next lay down to rest?

Making his decision, he slowly backed away from the window and let out a sigh, following the raindrops as they raced each other down the windowpane.

Then, he turned to find his parasol.

 

**_Three Hours Later._ **

 

Kei stood in front of the door to Kuroo’s bedchambers, staring at the reddish wood that made up the thin barrier separating Kei from the omega he felt so utterly confused about.

_Love?_

How sad, it had only hit him truly, with the iconic throbbing heartbeat and swinging emotional state, after he’d hurt his relationship with Tetsurou possibly beyond repair.

Again, he cursed himself, and the curious mind that led him to such a situation as this.

_He gave me every single signal in the book that he wanted to leave his past behind him, and yet I continued to press. I continued to try and pry my way in with my little strategies and manipulations, thinking I was so clever to find a way to tiptoe past his walls. Yet here I am, finding out that from day one he’s seen right through me._

Kei fisted and un-fisted his hands nervously.

_How do I even begin to apologize?_

The very thought made his stomach twist. As a prince, it was rare he’d have to do something such as giving a true, heartfelt apology. His usual ‘pardon me’ wasn’t going to be worth anything here. He was on his own, in a situation he’d never been in before.

Perhaps, because, as Tetsurou said, he was nothing more than a damn spoiled prince.

Tsukki inhaled sharply, gathered his courage, and knocked.

No response.

He knocked again.

No response.

He waited a few seconds, heart in his throat, and then he knocked a third time.

Still no response.

_He’s ignoring me._

“Tetsurou-san? Erm…it’s Kei.”

_It’s Kei? Oh really, who else would be showing up at this hour?_

He mentally berated himself.

“I…I came to apologize…that is…you see…I feel deeply regretful that I…oh who am I kidding.”

He was done trying to hold himself to some higher standard, after all.

“I’m sorry I hurt you. That I was so insensitive and continued to press into business you made it clear you wished to remain private. It was selfish and completely unacceptable. I…I hope you’ll at least open the door to hear me out.”

He leaned on the doorknob.

To his great surprise, the door swung inward.

_Not latched? I suppose he could have charged in here in a hurry._

As he stepped inside, he didn’t notice the parasol missing from the umbrella stand.

“Tetsurou-san? Please excuse me for intruding.”

He looked towards the bathroom. The door was open, and it was empty.

He stepped further into the bedchamber, feeling incredibly improper to be letting himself into an omegas private bedroom, be it his court mate or not.

When he arrived in the doorway, things clicked in a hurry.

The fine gown Kuroo had been wearing at dinner was tossed upon the bed, along with the top shirt, petticoats, and everything else of that nature. His old boots and dress were gone from the wardrobe, and the window was cracked open, wind gusting through the gap.

_He ran away._

_He's gone._

And it was at that moment that Kei’s heart shattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...Kuroo's gone. ;-; Well, Tsukki did royally screw up (ha, see what I did there?) Anyway, please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo remember to lock his door next time he jumps out his window and runs away, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	10. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You…ran away?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary of the last two chapters comments  
> "Kei what the hell!? KUROO MY BABY"  
> XD  
> So, Kuroo ran off, Kei just found out that Kuroo ran off, and that's where we are now.  
> Please enjoy~

**_The 3rd Quarter._ **

 

“DAMMIT ALL!” Morisuke shouted rather passionately as he tossed the water contained in a leaky bucket out the door before slamming the thin wood shut again and hurrying back over to place the bucket back under the leak in their roof.

It was one of many, but this one had opened up right above their nest, so he and Kenma had had to hurriedly relocate the precious few pillows and blankets, along with the lumpy mattress, to the opposite corner of the shack to ensure they didn’t get soaked.

With this task done, Yaku began to wring the corner of his faded red dress out, scowling. His hair was heavy with water droplets, and his white stockings were sporting several tears along his legs that were slightly stained with the combination of dirt, water damage, and several splatters of random colored dyes from their jobs replacing dye canisters in one of the many industrial factories that towered just next to the 3rd Quarter.

“I swear, Tetsurou better be living it up right now to make this all worth it. I’ll bet he’s laid up in some swanky wing of the palace with a bed bigger than this entire shitty shack. Nice silky sheets, warm blankets, and definitely no leaks threatening to bring the roof down on top of him! You know, I was hoping we’d at least get a letter by now.” He grumbled.

Kenma glanced up from where he sat cross-legged on the now slightly soggy mattress, an old woolen blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

“We don’t have an address, remember?”

Morisuke scoffed. “He’s in the royal palace, I’m sure they could find a way.”

Kenma hugged his knees to his chest.

“Do you…think we haven’t gotten one because…he hasn’t tried to send one?”

Morisuke’s face instantly fell as he made his way quickly to Kenma’s side.

“No, no, I’m sure he’s tried. He would never forget about us, Kenma. I’m sure there’s some royal policy bullshit he’s trying to work through, I mean, it hasn’t even been four weeks. It’s probably just taking him a while.”

The artificial blonde sighed. “Yeah…but like you said…he’s probably comfy and warm in the palace right now…maybe it’s just not on his mind?”

Yaku hesitated, before deciding for right now he just had to put his faith in Kuroo.

“I’m sure he’s thinking about it every day. There are probably rules about this that and the other preventing him from getting in touch, but he’s trying. And if he’s trying to get something done, nothing can stop Tetsurou. We’ll hear from him soon, I’m sure of it, and we’ll get to see him really soon, too.”

Comedic timing aside, this was when their thin door was suddenly rather furiously banged on.

“LEMME IN!” A voice hollered, garbled from the rain.

Morisuke leaped up, and so did Kenma, both immediately on guard.

“MORI! KITTEN!”

Both of them frozen.

“Mori…?” Yaku mumbled.

“Kitten…?” Kenma whispered.

It was then that the taller of the two currently present omegas shot forward and slid the plank that barred the door from being opened away, flinging it open.

“Kuroo!” Kenma exclaimed in shock as the One himself forced his way in, dropping an expensive looking, and rather sodden, black and red lacy parasol to the ground.

“Those things…are built…for looks! Not…function!” He pointed at it accusingly, and considering he was thoroughly soaked, he seemed to be correct.

Morisuke let out a choked up chuckle.

“That’s because…you’re not supposed to go out in a massive storm like this…idiot!”

He slapped Kuroo on the shoulder.

The raven-haired man had to stoop slightly to fit into their small shack, and he looked between the two of them before smiling brighter than he had for the last four weeks.

“Gods…I’ve got so much to tell you about. So much has happened.”

Kenma, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to hide the fact that tears were beginning to pour down his face.

“Kuroo…”

Soaking wet or not, Kenma threw himself into the taller omegas chest.

“I missed you.”

Tetsurou smiled, softer this time.

“I missed you too, Kitten. And you too, Mori.”

“I thought I told you not to call me that!” Morisuke shouted, although it lacked the bite than it typically would harbor. He stood on his toes and pulled down a towel hanging from a makeshift peg on the wall, throwing it at Tetsurou.

“Now dry off, you’re gonna catch a cold at this rate.”

A few minutes saw them seated comfortably on the lumpy mattress, bundled up with the still slightly sodden blankets and pillows.

“You had four whole rooms all to yourself?” Morisuke gawked.

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it was ridiculous! The bed alone was bigger than this entire room!”

"And the walls were all golden?" Kenma asked, looking awed.

"Yeah, the molding was all gold, and the papering all the walls were all beautiful stenciling! My room had walls that were red with silver rose bushes and thorns." Kuroo described.

Kenma propped his head up on Kuroo’s shoulder just then.

“What was the prince like?”

Tetsurou winced. “Ah…actually…he’s the reason I’m back.”

Morisuke raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you pissed him off and got kicked out.”

“No, no, it wasn’t that…it was…how do I put this…he hurt me, so I ran away.”

Morisuke and Kenma’s mouths both dropped open.

“You…ran away?” Morisuke demanded incredulously.

His face then turned dark, off brown eyes looking murderous. His scent even changed the match the angry emotions “More importantly, he hurt you? _How!?_ What did he do!?”

Tetsurou put a hand up. “Not, like, physically, chill. He…he wanted to know more about me. Where I’m from, why I’m here, who I was always running away from.”

Morisuke’s face instantly softened, and Kenma actually started rubbing his head against Kuroo’s neck in an attempt to release a comforting scent.

It worked, and Tetsurou’s stiffened posture started to alleviate bit by bit.

“Tetsurou…” Yaku began, unsure of where his sentence was even going.

“It’s fine…that’s not what I was hurt by. The first night he…he..”

Kuroo couldn’t believe he was actually letting himself get choked up.

“I basically said I didn’t blame him if he didn’t want me, since…I mean…look at me.”

“Kuroo, you’re pretty.” Kenma said flatly.

The man gave a broken laugh.

“I appreciate it, Kitten, but we all know I’m not like the rest. I’m not even anything like you two.”

“Tetsurou, I know a thing or two about being atypical, and a thing or _five_ about feeling inferior. Is that it? He didn’t want you?”

Kuroo shook his head.

“The opposite. His reply was that he was happy. That I was so different. He said he’d been dreading the arrival of more of the same. At the time…I thought he meant he liked me…for me. He sounded so honest. Then, well, things were pretty good. The first morning at breakfast I asked him if he could find a way for you guys to come to the palace, and he said he’d talk to the King about it. Over the next couple weeks, he even gave me a couple updates about how the King was going to work through some old traditional shit to try and open up some new positions for you. Handmaidens or something? Either way, it basically would mean you guys would be my new entourage, I guess. I didn’t really care, as long as it got you into the palace.”

Morisuke shrugged. “I’m all down to be a whatever-maiden if it means I get out of this shit hole.”

Kenma hummed, nodding in agreement.

Kuroo groaned. “Let me just get to the point. So I was practicing dancing…”

Morisuke snorted.  
“Shut up!” Tetsurou snapped. “I didn’t get a choice!”

The auburn haired omega managed to quell his giggles as Kuroo continued.

“Long story short, one of the omegas in Tsukki’s, the prince’s, entourage, he’s a member of a high up noble family, by the way. Anyway, his little sister had jumped up onto this railing above the room we were practicing in. It was in this sort of enclave where you could look down onto the room. She was pretty high off the ground. Naturally, Shouyou, erm, the omega, her big brother, yelled at her to get down and ran towards the stairs to get her. When she turned to get down though, she slipped, and fell.”

Kenma winced. “How bad was it?”

Kuroo let out a long, so ‘haaaa’ sound.

“Not bad at all, considering I bolted across the room, caught her, and then had no choice but to do a backflip off the wall in front of me since if I _hadn’t_ have done that I would have banged her head off the wall.”

Morisuke freed her arm from the their cuddle pile specifically so he could slap himself in the forehead.

“You did not.” Kenma moaned.

“What _else_ could I have done? I couldn’t just stand there and let her crack her head open on the tile floor, when I could save her!” Kuroo protested.

Morisuke shook his head slowly. “You always were a heroic one, weren’t you…man, if Suguru could hear this…”

“Don’t bring up that snake bitch! Or do you want me to point out how much Tooru would have teased you for how short you are if he saw how much you put down at the Selection Ceremony!”

“Leave my height out of this!” Yaku rebounded.

“Kuroo! Then what happened?” Kenma shook his childhood friend by the arm.

“Oh, oh, right. So that night…which was actually tonight. Oh yeah, did I mention the whole backflip incident was just this morning? Feels like it’s been days…”

“Kuroo!” Kenma repeated urgently.

“Ok, ok, sorry. So, I was at dinner with Tsukki, like usual, and we were talking about your usual stuff. He was telling me about some book he’d read, I was telling him about how much dance practice sucks, so on and so forth. Although…it’s worth mentioning. Ever since day one, he’s been trying to ask clever little questions.”

“Clever? How so?” Morisuke asked.

“Trying to get me to let slip about stuff to do with my past. Of course, he never got much out of me, and for the most part, I played along. He was curious, and it was harmless. I was hoping after the first few days he’d get the hint. Yet, day after day, week after week, he persisted. It was starting to wear on me, and today, just a few hours ago, is when I realized it.”

Tetsurou unsuccessfully attempted to swallow the lump in his throat.

“He doesn’t like me for me, he likes me for the mystery I represent. In truth, he’s just a spoiled rotten prince, who’s something of a self made genius. When he ran out of books to read and things to study that truly interested him, I came along. A living, breathing puzzle for him to solve. Of course, he never expected his puzzle to fight back.”

“What did you do?” Kenma’s golden eyes were rapt with attention.

“I channeled a bit of the old me.”

“Oh, dammit, what did you do? Do we need to run?” Morisuke was already in the process of standing up.

“No, we’re fine for right now. I doubt anyone has even realized I’m gone. I just gave him a stare down and told him flat out. I knew what he was trying to do. I’d known it since our first meal together. I told him I had hoped he’d respect me more than that, and that the old me would never had stood for it. I taunted him, asking if that was nothing more than a new piece to add to his puzzle. Then I called him out for being a spoiled brat and left.”

“Damn.” Kenma commented.

Tetsurou gave a soft huff of laughter at the straightforward reaction of his friend.

“Yeah. I hid out in my room for a little while before I finally decided to climb out the window and come here.”

Yaku frowned. “So…are you going back?”

Tetsurou scowled. “No.” He said firmly.

Another heavy sigh then gusted free of his lips. 

“And the funny thing is, I thought he was different. I honestly thought that he liked me for who I am, and not who I was. He doesn’t even know what I was. After all, if I ever told him…”

“No need to explain to us. We know.” Kenma interrupted him.

“Well…guess we need to hit the road then. We’d better at least get out of the city before anyone realizes you’re gone.” Morisuke said matter of factly as he stood up.

Without a word, he began collecting his things, shoving them into a large leather satchel.

“Mori…”

“I’ll help.” Kenma stood up as well, and then started to collect his own clothes.

“Where should we go?” Kenma asked Yaku then, ignoring the awed expression of Kuroo behind him.

“Maybe we could try Shiratorizawa? I’ve heard they’re always hiring in entertainment on the coast.” Yaku commented as he stood on his toes to pull a few more ragged towels hanging from the single ceiling beam down.

“What kind of entertainment?” Kenma demanded, looking skeptic.

“Does it matter? We’ve done all the kinds there are.” Morisuke replied as he folded up the towels one by one and started packing them into a separate backpack.

“Even still…” Kenma seemed uncomfortable with what his friend was insinuating.

“Don’t worry, if it’s _that_ just let me take care of it. Besides, I’m hoping something more like waiting tables or maybe getting back into tailoring again.” Morisuke waved a hand.

“Morisuke, I am not letting you do that.” Kenma snapped.

“What? Makes quick money.” Yaku was a little to comfortable with this idea for the blondes liking.

 _“Morisuke.”_ Kenma hissed.

“Yeah, yeah, ok, I read you, it’s out of the picture. I know how you feel about that type of thing. I won’t do it.”

“Good. So waitressing?”

“Waitressing.”

“Gods, I hate customer service.”

“Don’t we all?”

As this banter went back and forth, Tetsurou just sat there, feeling wholly unworthy.

What had he ever done in his life to deserve such good, loyal friends that would pick up and move to a different kingdom for him at the drop of a hat?

“Guys…” Tetsurou couldn’t help but tear up.

Kenma and Morisuke turned back to him.

“Hey…c’mon, look at me.” Yaku said sternly.

Teary slate gray eyes lifted.

“We’re in this together. Always have been, our whole lives. Sure, this whole Selection mess threw us for a loop, but it doesn’t change that. Nothing will. You’d do the same for either of us. You have before.”

Tetsurou felt his heart warm, and finally, he stood up.

“I’ll help fold up the blankets.”

They’d done this many times before, in many hole in the wall, questionably acquired residencies, so it only took a matter of minutes for him to have everything they owned packed and ready.

However, before they could check to see if there was a break in the storm, so they could subsequently make a break for it, there was a knock at the door.

All three of them froze.

“Is it royal guards?” Yaku hissed.

“Police officers?” Kenma questioned, eyes narrowing at the thin wood.

Kuroo put his palms up before he slinked carefully closer to the door, careful not to make undue noise.

“Hello? Is this Tetsurou-san’s former residence?”

Tetsurou’s mouth fell open before, with rage bubbling up inside his chest, he ripped the door open.

There he stood.

Tsukishima Kei, the second prince of the Karasuno kingdom, the wealthiest on the continent.

At the door of a nobodies pathetic little shack that didn’t even qualify for it’s own address, in the shadiest district of the Capital city, which he had personally said before he would never enter no matter the reason.

There was, however, a more powerful statement being made here.

That would not be that the prince was standing there, no, for he was not _just_ standing there.

He was standing there completely alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Nekoma Trio is back together again! But now Kei's here. Alone. Such drama, much suspense XD Welp, that's all for this chapter, please drop a comment down below, they help Mori patch the leak in the roof, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	11. Out in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, please enjoy~

**_The 3rd Quarter._ **

 

Tsukishima Kei, the second prince of the Karasuno kingdom, was standing at the door of a ramshackle residence in the shadiest district of the Capital. One so small and insignificant it didn’t even qualify for its own address.   
****

Yet there he was, and even more strikingly, he was there alone.

No guards, no attendants, not even a horse or any other means of transport. Kuroo took note he was wearing the exact same clothes he’d been wearing a dinner, meaning he’d set out the instant he’d found out the omega had run away.

While Tetsurou and Kei were standing there staring dumbly at each other, the one who Kuroo himself had described to be stubborn, protective and short-tempered stalked up.

He put an arm in front of Tetsurou and pushed him slightly back into the shack. This made enough room for Morisuke to insert himself directly between the prince and his betrothed.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Yaku demanded, turning his back to Kuroo and putting his hands on his hips.

That tone of voice, to an alpha, and a prince at that?

Well, let no one ever tell you that Morisuke was timid when it came to a standoff such as this.

 Kenma slinked up behind Kuroo and latched onto his arm, glaring daggers at the prince.

Both of them seemed fully prepared to fight tooth and nail against this friend being taken away again, especially now that he'd told them how unhappy he'd been.

Meanwhile, Kei seemed to be struggling to answer Morisuke’s question.

“I…came to find Tetsurou-san.”

“Well, you did. Congrats. Now go home, he’s staying.” Yaku snapped, waving the prince towards the street.

“No.” The alpha said firmly, stepping across the threshold of the room and elegantly folding closed his, much larger and more rain resistant, umbrella.

He would have moved further into the space, if not for Morsuke planting his hands on the alphas chest and forcefully shoving him back out the door.

"I don't remember telling you that you could come in." He growled.

The blonde stumbled from the force of the shove, nearly tripping as he was sent back out the doorframe and into the rain once more.

Kei seemed about to retort, making to move forward, as if he intended to get inside one way or another.

Morisuke simply crossed his arms, his eyes glinted with that same sense of danger that he'd seen in Kuroo at dinner.

"Oh _please_ throw a punch. _Please_. Go for it. Just one. Hit me once. That's all I need to call beating your ass self-defense." Morisuke begged, gripping at the edges of his dress sleeves.

 _"Morisuke!"_ Kuroo hissed from behind, but Yaku didn't even acknowledge him.

Kei was taken aback by how confident this small omega was in kicking his ass, but considering Tetsurou's stunt from earlier, he wouldn't be surprised. What was more pressing to him was the fact that he'd been relegated to standing out here in the rain.  

He was the prince, wasn't he?

He didn't need this lowly omegas permission to do _anything._

This entire city more or less _belonged_ to him.

How dare he demand that Tsukishima turn and leave after he'd clearly put in so much effort to come here?

How dare he claim he'd lay a finger on a royal of this country? 

The prince's thoughts roared down this path, but before they got too far, he realized that these thoughts were what had driven Kuroo away in the first place, and his stomach turned over at how quickly he'd forgotten that.

Morisuke stood firm, not giving Kei the space to come inside, scowling.

"Morisuke, I..." Kuroo began, reaching towards him.

Yaku put a hand up, silently asking for Tetsurou to let him handle this.

Kuroo fell silent, watching things unfold.

Tsukishima knew there was only one way through this. After all, he'd been the one to hurt Kuroo, he'd been the one to go too far, he'd been the one to overstep the boundaries that so clearly made the One so uncomfortable time and time again without even a thought to have Tetsurou must have felt the entire time. 

If he'd just been a better alpha...no, a better person, they wouldn't be in this situation. Tetsurou would have never run away, and he'd likely have been much happier during his time in that palace, as opposed to the forced aura about his actions before. 

Kei had no one to blame but himself. Which meant he couldn't blame this little omega in front of him for defending Kuroo so fiercely, and for being so distrustful of him.

Making up his mind, the blonde took a breath and spoke, still standing outside the doorstep, the rain pounding down onto his back was slightly lessened by the teetering buildings around him, but he was getting soaked none the less.

“I came to find Tetsurou-san. So I could apologize.”

All three of them looked skeptic.

That is until Kei did something to convey his honestly.

Completely unlike an alpha, completely unlike a prince, and more importantly, completely unlike Kei himself.

He knelt.

Outside this dingy little shack in the middle of the worst district of the city, a place where no royal would ever dare to venture even with guards, much less alone in the dark of night, before three omegas, Kei was kneeling. Outside on the cobblestones, where the muck that flooded the streets during such awful storms as this would stain his expensive clothes, Kei was kneeling.

He bowed his head as he spoke.

“I know I overstepped. I let my curiosity get the better of me, and while I feel no regret for being curious in and of itself, I feel ashamed that I tried to manipulate and pressure you into telling me more. What you said was completely accurate, I should have respected your wish to keep things a secret, and accepted that I need to wait for a time when you would be comfortable with telling me. I acted spoiled, rude, and insensitive. So…I hope that you’ll accept my sincerest apologies for hurting you. And…I ask that you’ll give me another chance.”

He didn’t lift his head after he was finished, either.

He was waiting for Kuroo’s response. Kuroo who was still standing behind Morisuke, with Kenma holding onto his arm.

The silence felt deafening.

_He’s…kneeling. In front of me? Really? The more important question is…does he mean it?_

Something in Tetsurou’s heart was telling him yes.

“Alright, alright, stand up, you’re making everyone uncomfortable. Now get in here, you're gonna catch a chill if you stay like that.” Kuroo spoke suddenly, decisively, and while Morisuke and Kenma stared at him like he was a lunatic, the prince lifted his head and looked up at him.

“But I…”

Tetsurou shook his arm gently free from Kenma, and then put a hand on Morisuke's shoulder.

The auburn haired man looked up to him, still seeming on edge. Kuroo did nothing but nod.

"Alright..." Yaku sighed, stepping to the side, out of the way.

Tsukishima still hadn't stood up, which was why Tetsurou then offered his hand down.

“I accept your apology, alright? I won’t say ‘it’s ok’ because it’s not. It never will be. Though…I know how much a second chance can change a person.”

Morisuke shook his head softly, and Kenma rolled his eyes.

_Of course, he would._

Was what was on both of their minds.

“So long as you promise to keep your nose out of my history, then I’ll go back with you. Sound fair?” Kuroo asked, still offering his hand.

The alpha looked like a huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders.

“Perfectly fair. I give you my word I’ll stay out of it from now on.”

He then took Tetsurou’s hand and stood up. Tetsurou backed up enough that Kei was able to enter the shack. He stood, not straight, considering the low ceilings, but close enough.

Kuroo hummed, then knitted his brow.

“Wait a second…how the hell did you know where I went?”

Tsukki, who, mind you hadn't released Tetsurou’s hand yet, seemed confused.

“Where _else_ would you go? I merely assumed you wanted the comfort of your old friends, and therefore came to them.”

Kuroo shook his head. “No, yeah, I get that, but how did you know where they live? This place is so crappy we don’t even have an address.”

Kei seemed to realize what he meant. “Oh, that. Well, you see, after I promised you I’d get them to the palace, I spoke to my Father that afternoon. She also gave her word she’d work to get them a proper position to facilitate their permanent residency in the palace, however, it would take some time. I feared that while she was working things out, your two friends would be placed into danger since they were now the only people in the city with close ties to the One. I wouldn’t have worried about this if not for that fact that they live in such a dangerous area. So I had a unit of guards dedicated to ensuring their safety.”

“So you’ve had people _stalking_ us?” Yaku demanded, looking horrified.

Kei, finally releasing Kuroo’s hand, reached up to push his glasses back up his nose.

“Not quite. Simply put, I had them find you based on descriptions given by Tetsurou-san when he was telling me about the accident with the dye container that caused one of your hair to turn blonde.”

He nodded to Kenma at this, who shrank slightly behind Kuroo.

“After they located you, I made it clear I wanted the area surrounding your workplace and your home to be more densely guarded, instead of only having perimeter guard posts.”

“So I wasn’t imagining all those extra cops wandering around,” Kenma mumbled.

Tsukki then bowed to them.

“I apologize to you as well, both for intruding upon your home, and also for having you placed under surveillance without your consent. Please know I had your safety at the heart of my actions.”

"Yeah, yeah, I guess that's nice of you, or whatever." Yaku grumbled, crossing his arms and turning his nose up. He still wasn't too happy with the prince, despite Tetsurou having accepted his apology.

Kenma didn't say a word but nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Kuroo, on the other hand, was speechless.

“You did that? To make sure they were safe?”

Kei seemed a bit embarrassed, turning his head to the side. “Well, naturally.”

He then crossed his arms. “In the meantime, I propose we return to the palace promptly, before anyone realizes we’re missing and a manhunt begins.”

Tetsurou looked back to Kenma and Yaku anxiously.

_And they just packed everything at a moments notice over this too…_

“You’re probably right…” Tetsurou began.

Kei gestured to all three of them. “I mean for all four of us to go.”

Kuroo jumped. “Wait, really?”

Tsukki seemed rather indignant but carried on. “I had intended to give you the good news at dinner, but things got a bit…messy, so I was unable. My Father has created the station of handmaiden for you, therefore, while they’ll technically be in charge of helping you dress, cleaning your room, and stuff like that, it’s more of just a companionship position. Similar to what Tadashi is to me. A personal attendant yes, but a friend more than anything else. Essentially, it’s an excuse for them to live in the same chambers as you. Typically you wouldn’t receive handmaidens until we got mated and you officially became royalty, but I requested to have the process accelerated.”

Kuroo dropped his hand into his palm.

“So that’s what the empty room on the left is for!” He exclaimed.

“Empty room on the left?” Kenma questioned.

Kuroo nodded. “I said I had four rooms, I never said all of them were furnished, oh, and by the way.”

He pointed to the two of them.

"That one's Kozume Kenma, and the other one is Yaku Morisuke. Just in case you weren't already able to tell." 

Kei nodded. "I had guessed based on what I've heard of them, but I'm glad to be properly introduced. I'm Tsukishima Kei, the second prince of the Karasuno kingdom. A pleasure to meet you." 

"Humph." Yaku huffed, turning towards his bag.

Kenma hesitated. "Uh...nice to meet you, I guess." He said quietly after a moment.

"Mori!" Tetsurou insisted.

"What? And I told you not to call me that!" Morisuke snapped, already slinging his satchel over his shoulder.

Kuroo looked down at him pointedly.

Yaku rolled his eyes. "Gods, fine. Nice to meet you, but not really." He said this in the general direction of the prince before resuming fiddling with his satchel.

"Morisuke, come on! He apologized!"

Morisuke scoffed. "It's like you said, that doesn't make it all better."

Tetsurou threw his hands up. "Alright, fine, do things the hard way. It's your specialty."

"Say that again and you get my foot up your ass." Yaku snapped.

Kuroo shook his head but didn't reply, so his old friend continued on.

“Well, let’s hit it before the storm starts up again,” Morisuke exclaimed.

“Yup.” Kenma agreed, reaching for his own bag.

So, the pathetic shack in an alleyway of the 3rd Quarter was left behind, this time for good. As they started towards the city center, the rain picked back up halfway through, pounding dropped pouring down from the dark skies above.

Maybe Tetsurou didn’t notice, because he was too busy with running, but Morisuke and Kenma did.

That is, the way Kei held his umbrella out to shield Tetsurou from the brunt of the rainfall.

So, they didn’t know much about him, not as a prince, nor as a person, but with that one move alone, he’d already earned himself some points in the minds of his court mates best friends.

Though, you couldn’t expect them to let him off that easy.

At the moment, however, all of them had the same number one priority.

Getting out of the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Morsiuke and Kenma are gonna get to join the palace gang! :D Hooray! And Kuroo is giving Tsukki a second chance too, so there's that. Well, please drop a comment down below, they help everyone get out of the rain, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	12. Window Sill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh. Uh. Friend of yours?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been updating fast but I've had a lot of free time lately *rare* and I've been absolutely plowing through this story like crazy. I've written so far ahead, and I'm really excited to get to certain parts and see everyone's reactions. Tho I get the feeling no one's going to mind the frequent updates ^-^ So please enjoy~

**_The Palace._ **

 

“We made it!” Kuroo gasped, as all of them stood, floundering like fishes under one of the garden awnings.

Kei has shown them a path around the back of the palace, under a small gap that had crumbled in the gardens outer wall, yet was hidden by ivy, and through a grove of razor grass that would have deterred anyone else. However, as the prince showed them, there was a small natural tunnel through the shrubbery, constructed of softer greens that had grown in between the grass. It was tight, but after a few minutes of crawling, they found themselves popping out in a scarcely used, and therefore scantily guarded section of the garden.

Dodging a few lantern-carrying guards along the way, they made it under the awnings of the inner gardens.

“How come you know that shortcut?” Morisuke questioned the prince.

Perhaps it was mere lack of knowledge, or maybe just a lack of respect after how the alpha had hurt his friend, even after the heartfelt apology, but Morisuke didn’t seem to have any intentions of addressing Kei with any formalities.

_I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s doing it, just daring Tsukki to tell him otherwise. Which, I’d guess, he won’t._

Kei pressed his lips together. “Erm…please don’t mention this to my Father, brother, or any of the guards, but myself, Tadashi, Shouyou, Daichi-san, and Noya-san would sneak out quite often during free hours where we weren’t expected anywhere. In fact, we were still doing it up until a few months ago, when Shouyou and Tobio got mated.”

Kuroo grinned. “Ooooh, somebodies not as much of a goodie two shoes as I thought!”

Kei merely rolled his eyes without comment.

“So, what’s the plan for getting inside?” Kenma asked, eyes flitting around as he cupped his hands around his eyes in order to see out into the darkness.

He could see a few passing, bobbing lanterns held by the guards who were patrolling the area. However, the real issue was the two guards at the side entrance.

_The same place where I came out on my first morning here for my breakfast with Tsukki._

Tetsurou recalled.

Kei sighed. “Worse comes to worst we just waltz in. The issue is, they’ll likely tell my Father, which will result in several long, angry lectures. For you and me both.”

Kei added this last part one when he saw Kuroo was less than concerned about the lecturing.

“Would she really? I mean, your Dad loves me!”

“True, to the point where she would be extremely upset that you would climb out a window in the middle of the night and run back to the 3rd Quarter during a thunderstorm with no guards.”

Tetsurou wilted. “Damn, so that’s out.”

“You got out through the window. Can’t we go back in through the window?”

“We could, except Tetsurou-san’s bedchamber is on the third floor. Speaking of, how did you manage to get down?”

Kuroo chuckled awkwardly. “Oh, you know, runaway skills. I just climbed across the decorative molding in the front to the corner, then jumped onto the roof and ran across to the drainage pipe, and I slid down that to the ground. Then I sprinted across the way and climbed over the garden wall while the guards were changing positions.”

Morisuke raised a hand.

“Can’t we just do that, but in reverse? I mean, minus the climbing over the wall part.”

“I dunno, hey, Tsukki, think you’re strong enough to climb back up that drainage pipe? It is three stories.” Tetsurou turned to the alpha.

“You’re asking me? Shouldn’t we be more worried about Kozume-san and Yaku-san?”  
Kenma raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying we look weak?”

Kei shuddered at the golden gaze that fixated him at this.

“Not at all, simply that three stories high is quite the distance, with the rain the surface will be slippery, too.”

Morisuke scoffed. “We grew up with Tetsurou, remember?”

He made a flexing motion with his arm. “All of that runaway nonsense he was talking does have a bit of truth to it. We’ll be fine, it’s a question of if you can keep up. After all, you’ll have to go first.”

“I will? Why?” Kei responded.

All three of them seemed unconvinced he was being serious.

“What?” The blonde looked from face to face in confusion.

Tetsurou then dramatically gestured down to his skirt, then at Mori’s, and then at Kenma’s.

It clicked.

“ _Oh, that_ …of course, my apologies, it didn’t even cross my mind.”

“And that’s a good thing,” Morisuke said with a tone of approval, giving him a thumbs up.

Kei got the feeling he’d just passed some sort of test, but he wasn’t sure why.

With the plan now set, all that was left to do was put it into action.

Having vouched for Morisuke being the speediest of them, Kuroo suggested he run across first, which he did. Once he verified there were no other guards in the area, he waved the rest of them over.

They then climbed the drainage pipe, which, although Kei powered through, wound up being much more difficult then he thought it’d be.

They reached the roof, climbed down the convenient decorative molding, which provided plenty handholds, and finally arrived at the window.

Tetsurou pushed it open, and then, about five hours after he’d run away, he found himself collapsing back onto the soft carpet floor of his bedchamber.

Only to find the hem of a pink nightgown, inches from his face.

Lifted his head up further, he found himself staring down an extremely angry looking Suga.

“Um…hey! What brings you here at this time of night?” Kuroo unconvincingly tried to play this off like it was normal.

“Oh, I don’t know. I was just on my way to mine and Daichi’s apartments when I noticed you hadn’t turned the burner in your parlor off. I thought I’d turn it out for you since it’s dangerous to let it burn all night, and when I came in I saw your clothes tossed across the bed, your old clothes gone, and the window wide open! And then you climb _through_ said window!? Where have you been!?”

“MOVE TETSUROU!” Morisuke shouted from behind all of the sudden, having made it to the window second.

Now kneeling on the sill, the soaking wet omega looked up at the silver-haired man before him.

“Oh. Uh. Friend of yours?”

Kuroo groaned. “More or less.”

Suga stomped his foot.

“More or less!?” He roared.

He was managing to pull off looking _extremely_ intimidating despite the frilly pink pajamas he was wearing.

Meanwhile, Morisuke had climbed down from the sill and was now standing next to Kuroo, who was still sitting on the ground.

Yaku put a hand out.

“Hi. Yeah, this is probably the worse way a first meeting could go, but I’m one of this idiots old friends.”

Suga’s angry expression dropped. “Ah, lovely to meet you. I’m Sawamura Koushi.”

“Likewise, I’m Yaku Morisuke.”

They shook hands.

Then, just like that, the furious gaze was turned back on Tetsurou.

“Oh come on! He climbed through the window too!” Kuroo exclaimed.

Suga’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, but somehow I get the feeling he didn’t intend to wind up here tonight.”

“You’re right, I didn’t,” Yaku confirmed as Kenma’s head popped through the window.

“Oh. Am I interrupting something?” The long-haired omega asked.

“Not at all, do come in.” Suga hummed serenely as Kenma dropped nimbly to the carpet.

“This is Kozume Kenma,” Kuroo grumbled, jerking a thumb in the younger’s direction.

Kenma nodded to Suga.

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Sawamura Koushi” He was like an angel once again.

“Two-faced!” Kuroo accused, only to the silenced by the glare level at him.

“Ok, ok…you know what? We can talk about this in the morning. Whatever possessed you to go out and bring your friends back here can wait till morning. I’m awake an hour later than I’m supposed to be, Dai is probably wondering what’s taking me so long, and honestly, I shouldn’t have even OH MY GODS KEI WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”

The prince himself had now arrived at the window, and when he was met with Suga’s shocked face, he had half the mind to turn right around and go back onto the rooftop again.

“That is…a slightly complicated story.” He began awkwardly.

Koushi groaned. “Ok…fine…you know what?”

He threw his palms into the air and turned towards the door.

“I was never here! Didn’t see anything! When I see you in the morning it’s the first time I’ve met Yaku-san or Kozume-san, ok? Great.”

He then whirled to face towards them at the door.

“And you’d better expect me to cash in on just how much you owe me for not ratting you out!” He exclaimed.

With that, he aggressively slammed the door shut.

The four of them stood frozen for a moment before Kei turned and shut the window.

All of them were dripping wet, so, as Tsukki moved, his hair was shedding water, droplets whipping from the limp blonde spikes.

“I suppose I’ll make my way to my own room. Hopefully, I’ll be able to slip back unnoticed. I’ll be seeing you for breakfast.”

“Hold up, how are we going to explain Mori and Kitten suddenly being here?”

Tsukki sighed. “Something along the lines of their home in the 3rd Quarter flooded from the storm, so they came to seek shelter here. Just say you were so worried they’d be turned away at the door that you got them to climb up to your window so you could let them in secretly. I’m sure it’ll blow over. Good night.”

“I’m not too confident with that nonchalant attitude of yours!” Kuroo barked at his retreating back.

Too late, the alpha had already, also, disappeared through the door.

Meanwhile, Morisuke had dumped his bag to the floor next to the bed and was holding up one of the petticoats from Kuroo’s dress from dinner.

“What is this supposed to be?” He asked, turning it this way and that, brows furrowed.

“Give me that!” Kuroo snatched the skirt away and turned it the right way, ruffles facing down before holding it to his waist.

“It’s a petticoat, basically it’s entire reason for existing is to make sure you trip over it every five seconds.” He said.

Yaku snorted. “And you wear them?”

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Wipe that grin off your face, you’re gonna have to wear one too.”

Yaku’s face fell. “Oh, gods, you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Kenma walked over to the bed and picked up the corset which was disposed of there.

He frowned. “This too?”

“That too.” Kuroo replied flatly as he stuffed the petticoat he was holding into the wardrobe.

“No way in hell.” Morisuke said stubbornly.

Tetsurou jerked a thumb towards the window. “Would you rather try your luck out there?”

He asked as lightning lanced through the sky, lighting up the darkened bedchamber before thunder boomed from up above.

Morisuke crossed his arms, pouting. “Ugh…if I must.” He muttered.

Kuroo, meanwhile, had finished cleaning off the bed of his clothes from dinner and then disappeared into the bathroom. A few moments later he arrived with three fluffy white towels.

“Here.” He tossed on at Kenma, who caught it one-handed, and one at Morisuke, who also caught it one-handed, without looking up from the content of his bag.

“I don’t have anything that would fit either of you guys…you’ve got something to sleep in, right?”

“Yeah, somewhere in here.” Morisuke replied as he toweled the water from his hair.

Kenma, who had already dried his hair best he could, had produced a plain faded blue cotton nightgown from his bag, that looked like more of an overlarge tee shirt. It didn’t have any fitting to it, and the only decoration upon it was a single thin white ribbon sewn into the collar, half of which was dangling off, the stitches having been broken.

Yaku, on the other hand, had a pair of black shorts, something Kuroo remembered him wearing under his dresses oftentimes, and it seemed, as he was taking off his dress, that he intended to sleep in his undershirt.

Kuroo dragged out his own nightgown, a red silken one that went just past the knees, and collapsed onto the bed.

A few moments later he felt Kenma coming down on top of him.

“Kitten, get off!” He groaned, rolling over and therefore sending Kenma to flop onto the bed beside him.

Morisuke jumped up onto the mattress, it gave beneath his weight, cushioning him.

“This is heaven.” The shortest of the trio insisted as he fell onto his back, making snow angels against the silky sheets for a few moments before falling still.

The bed was far more than big enough for all three of them.

Yet, when Suga arrived the next morning, he found the three of them compressed into the middle, the blankets heaped up around them. They were tangled up together.

The ash blonde leaned in the doorway with a small smile.

_Tetsu must have missed them so much. He must have been so worried about them. Then again…_

He saw the way that Kenma was clinging to Tetsurou’s midsection, and the way Morisuke was wedged between the two, head resting on Kuroo’s shoulder.

_…I’m sure they were worried for him too._

Deciding lessons could wait a little longer, he gently closed the bedchamber door again.

_I’ll just go tell Shouyou to let them sleep in…we’re the royalty and nobility, after all, …may as well take advantage of our standing once in a while. It’s not like anyone can force the soon to be princess out of bed if he’s stubborn enough. Other than me, that is._

As his boots softly clicking heels carried him back down the hall, he crossed his arms.

_After all, I’m sure Kuroo’s going to want to give his friends a tour around, and he’ll have to take them to the tailor's studio to get measured as well. That leaves me with the morning off. Daichi is having breakfast with his parents, since they just got back from the Nohebi islands, I can’t go bother him. I could go see the Kageyama’s and Azumane’s, but then, once I let Shouyou know, they’ll probably sleep in as well. I haven’t read a good book in a while…maybe I’ll cozy up in the library with a nice cup of tea? Sounds relaxing, and everyone is telling me I need to relax more._

Deciding that’s what he’d do, he turned, making his way towards the library.

_Maybe I’ll read up a bit on Nekoma like Kei’s been doing…that stuff about the guilds he was talking about sounds interesting._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! Morisuke and Kenma are in the palace, finally! And Suga's getting curious too...how interesting! Anyway, please drop a comment, they help Kuroo convince Suga not to stay angry at him, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	13. Reminiscing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know what, I hate you,” 
> 
> “Yeah, I’d like to hear that tone after breakfast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, please enjoy~

**_With Suga._ **

 

 

“Let’s see…”

After requesting a passing maid to bring him some tea to enjoy, and realizing he was one of the few nobles who was currently awake within the palace walls, Koushi had arrived in the library.

It was truly a magnificent place for a book lover.

Considering the younger prince had a borderline obsessive curiosity, and wouldn’t stop until he learned the knowledge he desired, the library had been expanded multiple times just so all of the books Kei purchased, ordered, or otherwise collected would fit. Besides books, there was a wide variety of art hung on the very small amount of wall space that wasn’t covered in bookcases, as well as a designated bookshelf filled with photo books of images Kei had collected to go with different books or stories he’d gathered.

Contrary to popular belief, the prince wasn’t strictly a non-fiction, only the facts type of reader. Since he didn’t have any other forms of entertainment that true engrossed him like a good book, there was a solid five or six wall to ceiling shelves in the library solely dedicated to Kei’s fictional novels, poetry, and collections of short stories.

Although it was open to all the royals and nobles within the palace, Suga was probably the only other person who used the library even half as much as Kei did. Akiteru read a fair bit, and Suga believed he was to blame for Tsukki’s adoration of books, considering their main way of spending time together when the prince was young was having the older read him poetry, fables, or short stories.

Koushi’s smile faded.

_Unfortunately, as Kei grew older, he and Akiteru grew apart, particularly after Akiteru’s Selection Ceremony a few years ago._

Suga made his way over to the more recently used books, knowing, thanks to Tsukki mentioning it to him, that the books Kei had been reading on Nekoma’s guild system were somewhere in the pile.

In the end, Suga wound up selecting several and made his way back to the nook at the back end of the library. There in the corner was a large cushy armchair, accompanied by two love seats. Koushi took one of the love seats, seeing as when he sat, his dress fanned out around him a good deal, and it would be both an awkward sight, and uncomfortable, for him to sit in the armchair.

So, he settled comfortably down, smoothing out his top skirt just in case the moment came where he had to look presentable, and reached for the covered platter on the side table.

Lifting the top, which was a cozy meant to keep the tea warm, he found a small teapot, tea cup, a pitcher of cream, a little bowl of sugar, and a teaspoon.

After preparing a cup of tea for himself, he cracked open the first of the books he’d selected.

_I’ll just skim a few of them, then once I find which one is about the part Kei was talking about I’ll read that._

So that’s what he did.

 

**_With Kuroo._ **

 

“You know what, I hate you,” Yaku muttered as one of the several tailors' apprentices currently bustling about the shop wrapped a tape measure around his waist.

Kuroo picked idly at the finger of his glove.

“Yeah, I’d like to hear that tone _after_ breakfast.” He dared.

Sure enough, the mention of food got Morisuke to shut his trap, and meanwhile, Kenma was looking increasingly flustered with the amount of people who were surrounding him.

“Sir, could you raise your arms please?” One of the apprentices requested of him.

“S-Sure.” He did so.

“Sir, could you lower one arm slightly?” Another apprentice had appeared with his own tape measure.

“Uh…yeah…” He lowered his left arm a bit so the man could check the size necessary for the sleeves.

“Sir, what is your current shoe size? We’ll need to send it to the shoe cobbler so she can prepare some new boots for you.”

“N-Not sure…”

“He’s 8 1/2. The other ones a 7.” Kuroo commented from where he was leaning on the wall, wearing one of his more casual, yet still annoyingly elaborate, outfits. It was similar to the one he’d worn the first time to breakfast, but with one less set of petticoats, which made it far easier to walk in. This, along with the black top skirt and red top shirt, was paired with a pair of black glove that ran just past the wrists.

Morisuke and Kenma were wearing their typical work clothes, however, seeing as they were being measured by the royal tailors at the moment, that wouldn’t be lasting much longer.

“The other one!?” Morisuke demanded loudly, causing several of the tailor's assistants who were swarming around him to jump.

After they’d woken up, the first stop at been at the royal study, since the King had insisted he come anytime, and also to call her Rika.

Using the story Kei had fabricated had gone over smoothly, considering the King had started crying and furiously apologizing to Morisuke and Kenma for taking so long to get them there and putting them in danger since their home ‘flooded’ and drove them out into the storm in the middle of the night. Of course, having _the freaking King_ shaking your hand, sobbing, and apologizing all at the same time had been a bit overstimulating.

_She’s probably one of the most emotional alphas I’ve ever met…_

Kuroo thought of a shock of white and black horn-shaped hair at this point but shook his head with a fond smile.

_Other than that guy, obviously._

“Your Highness, do you have anything to request for yourself, personally?” The Tailor himself was addressing Kuroo now. A male beta with a ridiculous mustache, he was the nobilities premier designer and had been recommended to become the royal tailor by a vast majority of the nobles who lived within the palace walls.

Tetsurou put a hand up, a serene smile on his face.

“Not at the moment, though I appreciate you asking. I will come to you promptly whenever I do require something. Thank you for the hard work, sir.”

“Not at all, your Highness, have a good day!” With that, he bowed as Kenma and Yaku were finally freed from the assistant's clutches, and headed out the door.

“Your Highness? And what was with that character switch you pulled?”

Kuroo tucked his hands behind his head.“You kidding me? I’ve had that bullshit beat into my head since the day I got here. You can’t be a princess off good looks and pretty clothes, you know.”

“Well, you only check one of those boxes, so you’d fail anyway.” Yaku snickered.

Kuroo looked down at his, admittedly, pretty dress and scowled.

“You’re seriously pushing your breakfast privileges.” Tetsurou threatened.

Morisuke laughed. “Oh, so sorry, your Highness, please don’t starve this poor servant of yours.”

“You act like it’s impossible but you’d be shocked with the type of crazy shit I could get away with.” Tetsurou snapped back.

“Like?” Morisuke questioned.

Kuroo considered it. “Well, this one time I jokingly told a maid who was helping me dress that if she tightened my corset another inch I’d have her fired. Well, I think what I actually said was ‘I’ll kick you out if you make this thing even one inch tighter!’ Instead of laughing it off, she turned white as a sheet, tied it off right there where it was, and started apologizing like her life depended on it.”

“Wow. Asshole.” Morisuke accused.

“I didn’t _mean_ to scare her like that! I tried to explain I was joking but even though she agreed with me I don’t think she quite believed me.”

“Man, do you remember when we were kids and literally every younger child in town was terrified of you? And most of the older ones, actually?” Morisuke recalled.

“Yes! What for? I never _did_ anything! I was always with you two! Hiding in a tree, or running away for something we _didn’t_ do! I swear it was those little jerks who gave me a bad reputation and made everyone in town hate us!” Kuroo roared indignantly.

He didn’t like to talk of his hometown with others, but with these two, who’d been through everything he had, it was ok.

Reminiscing about the parts that weren’t so bad didn’t hurt him.

Not as badly, anyway.

It was therapeutic, in a way, thinking of those people who’d made his childhood a living hell, now, so many years later, having grown past their abuse, and now, in a situation where he found himself free from any fear of further suffering.

Morisuke scoffed. “Well, hiding in trees aside, what about the time we almost got shipped to the Nohebi islands when we dove into a shipping crate to get away from Auntie when she was chasing us with the crop?”

Kuroo shuddered. “Gods, imagine if we were unpackaged by that snake bitch looking all smug.”

Morisuke laughed again, before raising the pitch of his voice as if to imitate someone they knew. “Oh, fancy meeting you here. Somehow I get the feeling I’m going to be a huge pain in your collective ass when we’re older. Yeah, imagine that!”

Kuroo was about to say something else when the figure walking silently between the two of them began to sniffle softly.

“Hey, Kitten, you ok?” Kuroo looked down to his friend.

Kenma sniffed, wiping under his nose with his sleeve.

“Yeah…just…I missed this. Carrying on like this, you guys always do it. I missed hearing it.”

Morisuke put an arm around him. “Come on, come on, don’t get emotional on us. It’s ok.” He soothed.

Tetsurou put a hand on Kenma’s head, ruffling his hair.

“Yeah. Besides, look where it got us? Imagine if Auntie could see us now, she’d snap that damn crop in half!”

Kenma gave a choked laugh. “Yeah…and…what about the old man who threw rocks us at from the fruit stand when we tried to beg for food?” He donated.

Kuroo grinned. “What we’re about to eat is moons away from whatever he had.”

“And the woman off Cedar Lane?”

“The betian one with the stupid little dog?”

“Yes! Oh gods, imagine those beady little eyes if she saw Tetsurou all dressed up!”

Morisuke put his fingers in loops and put then over his eyes.

“Whaaaat? That dirty little child is a princess? How about those other two snots who followed him around? They’re with him too? Whaaaaaaaat?” He imitated a high nasally voice that, according to memory, wasn’t far off.

“Whaaaaaat? Yes, that was her, that lady was practically deaf! I remember now!” Kuroo laughed.

“I remember that stupid dog, it chased me up a tree when I was 8,” Kenma added, smiling softly.

They were laughing again.

Not realizing someone was standing just around the corner, listening to them as they carried on in this deserted corridor, little barbs, jabs, inside jokes, memories of Uncle so-and-so who was always drunk, or Cousin whats-her-name who seemed to come back to the pack house with a different alpha every weekend.

Kei couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Naturally, he doubted they’d be this openly talking if they knew anyone else could hear, but it still filled him with a strange sense of both closure and something foreign to him.

Closure, because he’d finally heard something to do with Kuroo’s past.

His home town, how, yes, he had grown up in a pack, how they’d lived in a small town with a Cedar Lane, a central plaza, and a marketplace with a fruit stand owner who threw rocks at them.

It was that that gave rise to this new feeling.

Kei fisted his hands.

_They were children…he was a child. Yet they treated him like garbage…all three of them. Was it just because they were from a poor pack house that spent all it’s money on booze?_

The rage bubbling in his chest had no place to go, obviously. There was no where to vent it, he couldn’t take it out on the people who’d hurt them so. They were safe here, and he could use his position to ensure they would remain that way, and yet, even still the anger came.

If he’d thought a little harder he would have realized it was an alpha’s rage. His beast couldn’t stand hearing it’s omega talk so lightly about such suffering times.

_Then again…isn’t that what I tried to force him to do?_

Just like that, the rage snuffed out. Like a candle flame blown out in one strong gust.

_I hurt him…not the same way they did, but I still hurt him. I have no right to feel so strongly defensive about him when I ignored his wishes and treated him in such a way._

It was at this moment that, as the omegas cheerful conversation vanished down the corridor, a maid came hurrying around the far corner.

“Your Highness! There you are!” He arrived by his side, hugging what looked like a thin photo book to his chest.

“The most recent set of photo books you requested arrived. I was told this was the one you desired to see the most, and that you requested it be brought to you wherever you were the moment it arrived.”

Kei looked at the tantalizing closed cover the omega was offering him.

_All the research…those images are from the guilds that line Nekoma’s border with Johzenji. I was hoping I might be able to glean some more details from it…_

He reached out towards the book.

He then calmly pushed it back towards the maid. “My research has concluded, I no longer have any interest in those photos. If you could shelve it with the other photo books in the library, I would appreciate it.”

“O-Oh! Of course, Prince Kei, I’ll do so right away. Sorry for bothering you.”

“It was no bother. Thank you for coming all the way out here to get it to me. I apologize for my sudden loss of interest, but a curious mind does as it will.”

“You’ve no need to explain yourself to me, your Highness. Have a good day.”

With this, the man bowed and left, walking in the direction of the library.

Kei watched him go, feeling the yearning desire to call him back over. Change his mind, seize that photo book, and scour its pages for more information that would help him understand the omega he’d realized, as of last night, that he loved.

_Love._

Kei felt a throb in his chest again.

_If you respected me at all you’d back off._

_So long as you promise to keep your nose out of my history, then I’ll go back with you. Sound fair?_

The blonde shook his head, turning his back on the maid still retreating down the hall, and began to walk towards his study.

_I’ll busy myself with something else. Something that has nothing to do with Nekoma, nothing to do with southern towns, and nothing to do with Tetsurou-san._

He elected.

As such, he let the little photo book be taken away to the library, and made his way to his study on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! So Yaku and Kenma are at the palace to stay! And Tsukki is becoming more aware of himself and making decisions for his court mates happiness! Hooray! So, please drop a comment down below, they help Kenma remember his own shoe size, and give some kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	14. Eight Crows in the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you…like me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit more interesting! :D I hope you enjoy~

 

**_The Library._ **

 

_So there are illegal guilds, huh? That’s kind of scary. Then again, it doesn’t seem like most of them are doing anything bad. Most of them they go against the council because the council is overly oppressive, or they want to forward some personal agenda. Still, the fact that the government doesn’t get involved is a little…well, I guess since it’s not connected to the government at all, they have to let the guilds squabble._

Suga considered all that he had just learned as he took a sip from his tea. He’d spent the last hour eating his way through a book about vigilante guilds that broke away from the council and began to operate on their own.

_I wonder what reason they have to escape the council's control? I guess it’s probably got something to do with the nature of requests they are given, or maybe they feel like they’re being treated unequally to the rest of the guilds in the area? That’s probably the safest guess. In that case, they aren’t criminals in my book, they’re just standing up for their rights._

The door to the library creaked open at this moment, and Suga glanced over his shoulder.

“Ah, hello.” He greeted, waving to the maid who’d just entered.

“Good day, sir.” The maid bowed, and the omega got the feeling he’d forgotten what Suga’s name was, hence the generic greeting.

_Well, there are a lot of nobles running around the palace these days, between guests and those who actually live here, so I suppose I can’t blame him._

“What are you delivering? Another request from Prince Kei?” Koushi asked, not bothering to stand up.

He was polite, sure, but he was a high ranking noble. There was no need for him to stand to greet a servant.

The maid didn’t seem offended, probably because he was used to this. Besides, working in the royal palace was the best pay in the city, and he was being treated cordially after all.

“I believe so. However, when I went to give it to his Highness, he said he no longer found interest in the subject and told me I was to shelve it here.”

Suga put a hand out. “May I see it?” He asked.

“Of course, sir.” The maid crossed the room and gave the photo book to Suga.

The ash blonde opened the cover, and a small smile took place on his face.

“I believe I’d find it interesting enough, I wish to look through it, I’ll ensure it is shelved properly after I’m finished.”

“Oh, certainly. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Suga shook his head. “No, not at the…although, perhaps you could notify the kitchens I’d like a second pot of tea sent up?”

“I will do so immediately, sir.”

“Thank you.”

“Have a good day, sir!”

“You as well.”

Suga gave a gentle wave to the maid as he left the room.

_That was odd…he seemed very nervous._

The maid had finally escaped out of the library and was leaning heavily on the door.

_He is so pretty! I thought I was going to have a heart attack just talking to him!_

These were the male omegas thoughts before he, badly, collected himself, and continued off down the hall.

Suga, meanwhile, elected to brush off the awkward behavior of the maid and looked back down to the photo book.

_This ought to be interesting, it’s a photo book of the different guilds from the southern region of Nekoma._

He paged through it idly, pausing here and there to study a particular image in more detail.

_Artisans, craftsmen, skilled laborers…they have every type of guild you could imagine…hmm, what’s this one?_

The image here was one of poorer quality, but it was of a tailors guild. Towards the front were several men and women holding different supplies.

Needle and thread, tape measures, sheaves of cloth, half-finished clothing, and so forth.

Suga frowned.

_Not men and women…children. They’re young. They look barely presented, I’ll bet the oldest is only about 15. Huh…I guess guilds do take in kids in need, right? That’s what it said the book I was reading earlier._

As he was letting his gaze wander over the different faces of the young tailors at the front of the photo, something caught Suga’s eye that was located towards the back of the picture, barely caught by the camera towards the middle left of the photo.

Seated at one of the tables at the back of the room, wearing some sort of pin to keep his ever-present bangs out of his eyes while he worked, was Tetsurou.

Koushi’s mouth dropped open.

_No…that…that couldn’t be him…_

He appeared to be working on some sort of embroidery, a circle of stretched cloth in one hand. His arm was half raised, in the process of pulling the needle through, and it looked as though he was holding a spare clothespin in his mouth. His eyes were focused down on his work, to the point where Suga questioned if he even knew he’d wound up in the picture.

_It really is him. He was a member of a tailors guild in southern Nekoma? He looks so young too, he’s much shorter if the chair is anything to judge by…yet he’s wearing a dress so…I’d guess he’s barely presented? That is if he didn't wear them as an unpresented. Maybe 15? Maybe less? Then again, all the people towards the front of the photo look younger too. I don’t believe it._

Suga stood abruptly.

_Why would Kei decide not to look at this! He’s been dying for more details about Tetsu, and here you go! I should…wait…_

He then recalled how they’d run out the previous night.

Reasoning his way through, he’d imagine Tetsurou would have run off for a reason.

_Kei pushed too far._

It made sense.

The night after that adventure, Kei refuses to look at a photo book that could hold a huge piece of the puzzle he was trying to solve in his court mates past?

_That’s not the Kei I know. Unless he promised not to look into Tetsu’s past ever again, in order to convince him to come home._

Suga’s detective skills were pretty spot on, but he wouldn’t know for certain. Making his decision, he stood, collected the books he wanted to take back to his apartments with him, and left the room. Although, it was his desire to help keep this precious clue about Tetsurou’s past out of others hands, and a bit of his own curiosity, that caused him to take the photo book along with him.

 

**_The Next Week._ **

 

“So, how are Yaku-san and Kozume-san adjusting to palace life?” Kei asked as they walked arm in arm through the depths of the palaces sprawling gardens.

It was a day with only light overcast, probably one of the clearest days that Kuroo had seen since he’d arrived at the palace well over a month ago.

“They’re managing. Kitten is fine, he’s happy as long as he has food and he stays warm. Morisuke on the other hand…well, let’s just say he’s not a big fan of dresses in general. That’s why he always wears shorter ones so he doesn’t constantly trip.”

“So he hates it?” Kei inferred.

Kuroo chuckled. “Yeah. He absolutely hates it. The dress part. Says he feels like a walking cupcake. He’s willing to suffer, though, he just likes the bitch about stuff like that.”

As they walked, Tsukki considered what else to say.

He’d been wanting to talk about _them_ , moreover, about just where they stood after the incident the week previous.

_Are we back to square one? Are we back to where we were before? Are we stronger for it? I can’t tell…I have no experience with this type of thing._

Why would he?

He was a prince who had known since his presentation that he’d have the name of the person he was meant to love whipped out of some stupid the _The Bag_.

Honestly, in retrospect, it was really rather terrible. His Father was lucky he wasn’t a more passionate person, or he likely would have rebelled against the entire concept.

Still, this underlying fear that Tetsurou was only tolerating him because he had too, and that he’d forgiven him to get his friends out of the 3rd Quarter, had been gnawing at him since that night.

He had to know.

“Do you…like me?” Kei spat out.

Tetsurou’s head whipped around painfully fast.

“Do I…huh? Like you? How so?” The omega questioned, letting go of his arm and turning so he could face him head-on.

“In…any way, I suppose. After how I treated you, I suppose I’m…forget it. It’s a pointless conversation.”

Kuroo crossed his arms. “No, it’s not. Like it or not we’re stuck together, remember? Like, long-term. Our whole lives. That’s how this works.”

Tsukki looked to the side. “I said this was stupid. It’s just my own mind playing tricks, overthinking things.”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow.

“Oh…I see what you’re saying. Ok, in that case…I mean…”

He hesitated. “I don’t _hate_ you.”

“Great,” Kei grumbled.

“Not like that!” Kuroo waved a hand to dissuade the wrong impression.

“Just…I’m not sure? Yeah. Let’s go with that for now.”

Kei raked a hand through his hair.

His heart was hammering too fast. It was too much. This wasn’t his forte, he didn’t do _feelings_. He was the guy with the fake smiles and sideways glances, always gathering information, always analyzing, never learning to truly connect.

He found a way to get the information he desired and then moved on.

Why do you think he had so few friends? It wasn’t only his lack of options, he just didn’t know how to be honest. How to look at someone as more than another thing he’d eventually get bored of. That’s why most of his friends were the ones he’d known since childhood. They’d seen him grow into his current temperament and knew how to deal with it. Them, or their mates, who’d been taught by their significant others how to expect Kei to act, and what to excuse him for.

Thinking on that, perhaps that was why Tetsurou was so different.

He was the first person Kei had ever looked at, truly _seen_ , and felt so enamored by.

Tsukki gritted his teeth.

“I…do you want to dance?”

Kuroo actually recoiled slightly in shock.

“I’m sorry…what?”

Kei put a hand out. “I said, do you want to dance?”

“Um…there’s no music?”

“Who says we need music?”

“Me. I say we need music”

“Well, you’re wrong.”

_“Rude.”_

Tsukki made the gesture of offering his hand again.

“Yes or no?”

Tetsurou sighed. “I warn you, I’m awful, I nearly broke Yamaguchi’s foot.”

“I’m aware, he told me in great detail.”

“Wow, glad he found it so funny.”

Then they were dancing.

Several things were different to Tsukki, as compared to any other whom he’d danced with.

One, they were eye to eye.

After all, they were the same height.

Though Kei might have him by a hairs length, maybe two.

As they swayed back and forth, beginning a gentle circle of the small grassy clearing they’d stepped onto, Kei spoke again

“I…think I know. How I feel.”

“Really? Well, you’re more together than me.” Tetsurou replied.

By some miracle, Kuroo hadn’t stepped on Kei’s feet yet _or_ tripped over his own skirt, and Kei was taking heart in this luck to press onward.

Press this time, in the right direction.

Away from the mind full of painful memories.

Instead, he found himself trying to find the words that would unlock the omegas heart.

“Feel like sharing?” Kuroo asked.

Surprisingly, he did.

Well, not really.

In that way where you feel you need to say something right that moment, even though you’re scared it’ll go wrong because if you wait even a second longer, you might lose the chance forever, that was in the way he felt ready to share.

So he said it.

Out loud, though quietly, though while avoiding Kuroo’s gaze while they were so close together.

“I love you.”

It took a long moment, a _really_ long moment, before Tetsurou made some sort of disbelieving noise in his throat.

“You sure about that?” He asked incredulously.

They’d stopped dancing, but they were standing there still holding each other. Tetsurou had one hand on Kei’s shoulder, Kei’s was on his waist.

“Surer than anything,” Tsukki replied.

The omega before him seemed to process things a moment longer before sighing again.

“Well, when you put it that way. I…guess I can sort my own heart out.”

Kei didn’t know how to take that.

Luckily for him, Tetsurou made it easy for him.

“I love you too.”

Another moment of nothing.

“That…went way better than I expected.” Kei managed.

Kuroo laughed. “You thought I’d blow up?”

“No but…I wasn’t sure how you felt after last week.”

Kuroo shook his head. “I said I accepted your apology, didn’t I?”

Kei nodded. “Yet you also said it would never be ok.”

Tetsurou sighed. “It won’t be. I’m not the type of person who can forget when I get hurt. I’ve been hurt a lot in life, that’s why I don’t like to talk about what's already behind me. People…are terrible. They just don’t like me. They aren’t kind, they’re cruel, and disgusting, and manipulative.”

Kuroo didn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed by speaking so harshly.

Kei, on the other hand, felt the words on a personal level.

“I’ve had too many people try to get close only to stab me in the back. There were very few who ever earned my trust and lived up to the expectation. You…when you acted the way you did, even after, against my better judgment, I decided to trust you, it changed the way I look at you. I can’t make that go away. But…I can still accept that you said you’re sorry and that you meant it, and I can still, a _gainst my better judgment_ , trust you again. No point in letting a grudge get in the way of how I feel, even I can manage that”

Kei swallowed. “I…understand.”

Tetsurou looked to the side, dodging the prince's eyes.

“I can’t change the way I think, or the way I remember things. But…I don’t want you to beat yourself up over it anymore.”

Kei nodded. “Ok…I won’t.”

They stood like that for a little longer before Kei noticed movement over Tetsurou’s shoulder.

“What? Is someone watching us? If it’s Morisuke I swear to the gods…” He began, turning to look back.

Instead, it was a murder of crows.

“Oh, just some crows.”

Kei felt his heart sink.

Seven Crows.

Again.

_No._

He pressed his lips together.

_I’m not letting some stupid old superstition ruin this. Not again._

Well.

That stupid old superstition seemed to feel offended he’d be so distrustful of it because, at that moment, another lone crow emerged from the brush just behind the rest, a few hops and a soft flap brought it up to join its brethren.

Now that made eight.

Kei put a hand to his head in disbelief.

“What? Something wrong?”

Kei gently threaded his fingers in with Tetsurou’s hand again.

“See…there’s a rhyme everyone in Karasuno is taught as kids. It’s a superstitious thing. It’s something that adults reference a lot, you’ve probably heard them saying things like ‘I saw two crows this morning’ and ‘oh, how wonderful, your day will be good, then’ or something of that sort.”

Kuroo looked back over to the crows, counting them up.

“That’s eight. What does that mean?”

“Well…”

_This is so stupid._

“The crows rhyme goes ‘One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a mating, four for a birth…”

He turned to face his court mate again.

“Five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told.”

Kuroo frowned. “Wait, so it stops there?”

Kei shook his head.

Then leaned in and kissed him.

It only lasted a few seconds, but to Kei, it felt like an eternity.

When he finally broke away, Tetsurou looked shell-shocked.

“Wh..what did you do that for?”

Kei tilted his head back towards the eight crows pecking through the grass.

“The crows told me too. After all, it’s **_eight for a kiss._** ”

Tetsurou stared dumbly at him for a moment before shoving him, albeit with restrained strength, in the chest.

“What? That’s…oh my gods that wasn't smooth at all! Not at all!”

He was lying, obviously, his cheeks tinted red.

Kei felt the corners of his lips turning up.

“Yeah…sure.”

“No! Not sure! Dammit, Tsukki, that was too much!”

“You can call me Kei.”

“Don’t do that now!”

“Why not?”

“Ugh! You’re infuriating!”

He then crossed his arms again, glaring at Kei.

“If we’re doing that then…you can drop the honorific, I guess.”

Kei was feeling his ability to continue acting unctuous at the moment failing.

He put a hand to the back of his head. “I…would you like to begin heading back?”

Kuroo took a second to observe his bashful expression before humming in approval. “Sure.”

They made their way back towards the walkway, and Kuroo paused for a moment.

“Hey…do I always need to see eight crows for an excuse to kiss you?”

That was startlingly straightforward, but then again, Kei returned the statement in suite.

“Not at all.”

If they were half an hour late to dinner, well, at least nobody asked for specifics on why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! Suga found something interesting, and Kei and Kuroo are getting it together, finally! Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Kei continue to improve his suave-ness, and leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	15. One Crow Outside the Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “See that page I marked? You might want to look at it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy!

**_That Night._ **

 

“Hey, Tetsu!”

Kuroo, who’d been heading for his bedchamber with Morisuke and Kenma after dinner, paused, looking over his shoulder.

He saw Suga making his approach, holding a thin book under one arm.

“I need to talk to you.” The ash blonde said before promptly seizing the taller omega by the arm and dragging him off.

“What!? What did I do!? I’m sorry! Save me!” Kuroo struggled to escape.

Kenma gave an apathetic shrug as Morisuke took two fistfuls of the red top skirt of his new dress and shook them.

“Not in this outfit!”

“DAMMIT, YOU GUYS SUCK!” Kuroo howled as he was hauled away.

They reached a small reception room off the main hallway in no time.

“Ok, I’m sorry, what lesson did I miss, what did I forget?” Kuroo demanded.

Suga crossed his arms in disappointment.“Is that the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about things I might need to talk to you about?”

Tetsurou froze, hands half raised jerkily. “Erm…no?”

“Of course not.” Suga shook his head fondly, his eyes still filled with a sense of discomfort.

Kuroo’s face morphed from a deer caught in headlights to concerned.

“Hey, you ok? You look freaked out about something.”

Suga shrugged. “It’s just…ok. I’ve been sitting on this for a week already. Here.”

He held out the thin book he’d been carrying around to Kuroo.

“What is this? A photo book?” Kuroo took it and opened it to the first page.

His face immediately soured as he read the title.

_Nekoma’s Southern Guild Halls._

“I made him promise…” He began, his voice a growl, as Koushi put two hands up.

“No, no, listen. Kei’s being good, don’t worry. I think he ordered it before your whole lovers spat. When it got here, as I’m told, he gave it to a servant, without even opening it, and told the servant to shelve it. I looked at it out of curiosity because I happened to be in the library at the time the servant came in, and I was wondering what it could be that Kei would suddenly decide not to read it.”

Kuroo sucked on his lower lip, considering things before closing the book cover.

“Ok…guess I can forgive that then…so why bring it to me?”

Suga fiddled with his fingers nervously.

“See that page I marked? You might want to look at it.”

Tetsurou then noticed a small slip of paper sticking up from the top of the book. A bookmark of sorts. He did as suggested, and the second he flipped to the according page his face blanched.

“Y-You…how…” He murmured slowly before his face darkened.

Familiar smiles gazed out at him from the page, decorating faces he knew he’d never again see in the flesh.

“Ok. Why. Did. You. Bring. This. To. Me?”

Suga shuddered. Tetsurou’s entire demeanor changed. He could see why his past so intrigued Kei, now, considering this was his reaction.

“Because I didn’t want someone to find it in the library and spot you in it. I thought you should have it.”

“Don’t want it. Burn it.” Kuroo replied immediately.

“Do you hate those people that much? Did they hurt you that badly?” Koushi had to ask.

He couldn’t let his friend continue to feel such deep suffering about his past.

Kuroo’s grip on the book tightened to the point that the ash blonde omega before him thought he might actually tear it to shreds.

Then, he relaxed he grip, he took a few steps to the side and sat heavily into the nearest armchair, hanging his head and resting his elbows on his knees.

“No…they were my closest friends. Like family. All the people in that picture. I loved them like pack mates.”

Suga hesitantly moved next to Tetsurou and, after careful forethought, gently began to rub circles against his fellow omegas back as he released a soothing scent into the air.

Kuroo didn’t lift his face as he spoke.

“I…did something awful. That’s why…I’ll never see them again. I had to run away. I never got to say goodbye.”

He looked down at the picture in the book again.

White and black horned haired male alpha, next to a pretty faced dark haired male omega.

He was grinned widely, brandishing a sheaf of cloth, with the pretty dark haired omega looking sideways at him with a fond sort of exasperation.

Stout, stern-faced, short-haired male alpha, with a brown eyed, tall, grinning male omega.

The taller of the two was holding a half-finished loop of embroidery, with his other arm around the alphas shoulders. The alpha looked none to happy about that but still managed to give a disgruntled, halfway smile to the camera. However, you could see in his eyes he was going to snap at his companion once the shutter lens clicked.

Handsome, soft-faced, glasses wearing female alpha, beside a short, pigtail wearing, blonde haired female omega.

The blonde looked nervous about having her picture taken, but was holding the hand of the black haired alpha. It seemed to give her the confidence to smile shyly, as the glasses-wearing alpha held up the start of what looked to be a dress vest.

That wasn’t even all of them.

Only a few.

More lined up in front and back, more that Kuroo knew, more faces with personalities and memories he didn’t have the heart to even linger on.

Then, in the back, at 15 years old, there was Tetsurou, who’d refused to take part in the picture, because.

_‘Look, bro, I get you want me in it, but I don’t want too, and besides, I have a lot of work to finish.’_

_‘Shut up, I know you love your own face plenty, but I’m not sinking to that level…oh, quit your squawking!’_

_‘Please don’t make that face at me, blondie, I said I won’t be in it!’_

The memory of those voices had him crying before he realized it.

“Hey, come on.” Suga squatted down next to the chair and put an arm around Tetsurou, trying to comfort him.

“Whatever you did, and I won’t press you to tell me, I’m sure they’d be able to forgive you for it if they’re the people you cared about so much.”

Kuroo gave a choked, bitter laugh.

“It’s not them that’s the problem. _They…”_

He gestured to the people in the photo, all smiling back at him, frozen in time.

“…would have taken my side. They would have understood. They would have tried to help me. That’s _not_ the problem. The problem is way bigger than I have the heart to explain. And if I did explain it…”

He looked Suga wearily in the eye.

“…you’d think I’m a monster.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Koushi said firmly, moving past comforting arms over shoulders and giving Tetsurou a full hug.

“Whatever you did, even if it was bad, doesn’t define who you are now. Don’t let it.”

Kuroo stayed quiet for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“Doesn’t matter. My whole life has been defined by bad memories. Why should that change now that something good has happened?”

With that, Kuroo stood up abruptly, clutching the photo book to his chest.

“Thanks, Suga…I…I need some time alone, I think.”

Before the noble omega could reply, Tetsurou was walking, he was out the door, and the moment he turned the corner he broke into a run.

He dodged through a myriad of corridors, boots clacking off the tiled floor, wallpaper flying past him.

He wound up at a window, in a back hallway, all alone.

As he panted, attempting to catch his breath, he looked down to the photo book again.

He opened to the page and looked at those frozen smiles.

_You all are probably worried sick…even the snake bitch, I’ll bet. Hopefully by now, you’ve gotten past it. Moved on. I hope business is booming._

He thought about it for a moment.

_Business…yeah, I’m sure you guys are having a blast. Out there doing your thing…in control of where you go, when you leave, and how you get there…long hours on the road spent piled in the wagon together carrying on until you fall asleep under the open sky full of stars. I’d love to look at the same stars as you…but I haven’t seen the night sky in over a year thanks to this constant rain. Don’t get into too much trouble…don't let them catch you, alright guys? I’d like to keep on imagining you all running together forever…in that way, I can hold on to the hope that I didn’t ruin everything._

He knew all his friends were just a _little_ messed up, but then, so was he.

Not like that made any difference.

They were across a border, miles upon miles away.

He’d never see them again.

_I dragged Morisuke and Kenma along with me, too. I really am a horrible friend._

He brushed his fingers over the photograph.

_I’m sorry, everyone. Though…knowing you…you wouldn’t blame me. You all are way to forgiving, you know that?_

Kuroo shook his head down to the photo book.

_I’m mentally talking to a picture…pathetic…_

He opened the window latch and was just about to drop the photo book out into the rain, to hopefully rot away in the muck, taking with it these awful, _wonderful_ , useless, _precious_ , painful memories.

Instead, he noticed something.

A single crow was sitting on the branch in front of him. It was about two yards from the window, it was surprising it hadn’t flown off when the window had opened.

It seemed to be preening itself, uncaring of Kuroo’s inner turmoil.

_One Crow? What was that rhyme Kei told me about…one was for…huh._

He felt a smile tease at his lips.

**_One for sorrow._ ** _I can’t believe it._

It was so fitting, so well placed, that he retracted the book into the window and shut it again.

He looked at the picture one more time, before holding it close to his chest.

_I won’t toss it out. I’ll hide it somewhere. Then at least, I can see you guys again once in a while. Even if it’s just an old picture._

With that, he turned from the window, with the lonely crow watching his back. It sat a moment longer before turning and taking off, flying away into the stormy sky, and taking its bad omen with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, we all are able to get a decent idea of what Kuroo's old gang was like! Because I mean we're all Haikyuu fans here those descriptions weren't the vaguest thing around XD Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo hold on to the good memories, and leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	16. Yesterdays Courtship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No means no. Or do nobles not learn that either?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna spend the next couple chapters having a little fun with the OTHER two members of the Nekoma Omega Trio, as such, this one is dedicated to Mori! Please enjoy~

**_Two Weeks Later._ **

  
****

_Tetsurou’s at princess practice again._

Morisuke thought, feeling rather bored as he lay on his back on his bed, kicking his legs in the air.

_…I should probably go and do…something. But what? I don’t really do much, the maids already keep the room clean, Tetsurou’s not here so I can’t bug him, and Kenma’s holed up in the library again._

Yaku sighed before letting his legs drop onto the mattress.

_I could just go wander around…but that would require getting dressed up properly. No leaving the room in just a nightgown, of course. Ugh._

Knowing it couldn’t be helped, he got up and started the annoyingly long process of getting dressed in clothes these nobles deemed suitable. Twenty minutes had him buttoning up his black top shirt, and slipping a red vest overtop it. The top skirt of his dress was red, with an iridescent shimmer too it, and it had a middle split showing the black petticoats beneath.

“Finally.” He mumbled to himself as he finished buttoning up his vest.

Slipping on a pair of gloves, he made for the door. Pausing before leaving, he backtracked to look out the window.

An absolute downpour met his eyes.

_Fantastic, so I need to carry that damn umbrella around with me._

Morisuke dutifully grabbed his black ribbon decorated parasol from the stand and headed out the door. He wandered the halls aimlessly, idly swinging the polished wood handle of his parasol to and fro as he walked. He was just passing by the reception room where Kuroo was having dance practice when the door swung open.

He stopped in his tracks and watched an omega even shorter than himself exit, wearing a dramatic looking orange dress with black shimmery ribbon decorating every layer of folding with little black bows.

He turned to look at Morisuke.

“Oh, hey! You’re finally out! Tetsurou-san said you’d probably sleep till dinner if no one woke you!”

Morisuke rolled his eyes. “I’m not _that_ bad.”

Noya grinned. “So, want some company? I’ve been booted from the dance lessons for being too disruptive, and Asahi is out giving a tour to some foreign general with Daichi-san.”

Yaku sighed. “I guess, I’m just out here so I don’t get accused of being a shut-in.”

So they started walking together, Noya easily carrying the conversation, topics bouncing from fashion, to the weather, to their friends, and so forth.

Noya glanced up at a nearby window they were passing.

“Hey, looks like the rain’s let up a bit! It’s not pouring anymore, want to go out into the garden?”

Morisuke shrugged. “Sure, I guess we may as well get some use out of carrying these damn things around, huh?”

He held up his parasol pointedly.

“Awesome! Let’s go!”

They made their way down the stairs, and after being bowed out the doors by the two guards who manned the main garden entrance, they popped open their parasols and were now pursuing the paths.

Yaku glanced back to Yuu, who’d gone quiet for the past few seconds.

Quite a feat, considering he’d been holding the conversation this entire time.

“So, you’re one of the upper nobility, right? Sorry, I’m still a bit unsure of this whole noble factions thing.” He decided he'd start the conversation for a change.

Noya waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, you’re right. My family is one of the relatively new noble families. Well, only going back two generations. My grandfather started the whole glitzy zeppelin trend and became a really famous airship designer. Her, her two brothers, and her cousin made the private airship boom a thing. The current King’s grandfather hired them to design the royal families personal airship.”

Yaku furrowed his brow. “And that makes you nobility?”

Yuu shook his head. “No, no, no. If only it were that easy. My grandfather wound up meeting my grandmother, an upper noble omega, because she was coming to the palace often to speak with the royals on what they wanted in their airships, and she also started getting hired by other wealthy noble families to design their own ships. They started courting, and since my grandfather had become very wealthy and was in good favor with the royals, she was allowed to mate with my grandmother. That changed the family name, since my grandmother was the sole heir of the previous noble family. It was much ado over nothing, in the end all the happened what Nishinoya becoming an upper noble family name.”

Morisuke hummed. “That’s really cool. So, what about you? You’re an Azumane now, aren’t you?”

Yuu nodded. “Yeah.”

“So is Azumane going to become a new upper noble class family now?”

Yuu frowned. “Not really. See, Asahi was middle noble class, but since mating, with me, he moved into the royal palace with the other really high-class nobles. It’s a big mess, honestly, but the long and short of it is that our kids will be of his middle noble family, not my upper noble family. Though, currently, we still have the privilege that my side of the family provides, just not the accompanying titles.”

“But I thought your grandfather mated into nobility?”

“Yeah, but she was an exception since she had no title at all…I think?”

Yuu laughed. “See? Even I don’t totally get it! Ike I said, it’s a big mess!”

“Seems like it.” Yaku replied with humor in his voice.

They continued walking in another short bout of silence.

Noya seemed to consider something before he finally spoke again. “So…are you looking to get mated? Or get into a courtship anytime?”

Yaku’s face went several shades red and he whirled on Noya.

“What the hell spurred that on!?” He demanded loudly, his grip on his parasol going white-knuckled.

The shorter of the two took a step back at the aggressive response.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down! I was just wondering, since you’re in the palace now if you’re thinking about stuff like that. I mean, for all I know you’ve got a fling going with one of the alpha-servants. Or the sweet betian tailors' apprentice.”

“No, I don’t. And no, I’m not interested.” Morisuke replied shortly.

Noya hesitated. “You sure? I have a couple friends in upper nobility that I’m sure would love to meet you. Or Kenma-san, too. After all, Tetsurou-san doesn’t have to be the only lucky one.”

Morisuke shook his head. “No. I can’t speak for Kenma. For myself, though, while I appreciate the offer, I’ll pass.”

Yuu frowned. “Alright, if you say so. Do you think you’ll ever change your mind?”

“Doubt it.” Morisuke’s reply was swift once more.

Noya fidgeted with the handle of his parasol.

“Because seriously…I know this one she-alpha who lives up in Ravens Circle, she’s really sweet and not too hard on the eyes…”

“I said no.” Morisuke insisted, not even looking Noya in the eye.

The noble pouted slightly. “You’re no fun!”

Morisuke looked up at the sky from the beneath the edge of his parasol, listening to the rain patter down onto the dome protecting him, his eyes growing heavy with the thought.

“Yeah…guess I’m not.”

Noya heaved a sigh. “Really? I mean…I guess there would be some hate because you’re a commoner, but seriously, you’re essentially Tetsurou-san’s brother. That’ll make you the almost brother of the princess in a little under a year. I mean…it’s kinda big! Maybe you have some bad relationship history? C’mon, it’s the nobility! No one treats an omega better than a noble alpha! Or…at least, the ones I’ve met. No guarantees, some of the oldies are kinda assholes. Not like I’d set you up with an old creeper!” Noya waved his hands to dissuade this. This even resulted in his parasol getting swayed about slightly.

Morisuke narrowed his eyes to the side of the noble omega and shook his head.

“I really don’t have any interest in that. I’m fine.”

Yuu frowned, fingering with the handle of his parasol as he tried to think of another way to convince Morisuke.

“Well…I mean, you haven’t courted before, right? Are you just nervous about it, or…?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Morisuke muttered, casting his eyes to the opposite side of himself as Noya.

“Ehh? So you have? Or is that the reason? No need to be all shy about…”

Yaku whipped harshly towards him all of the sudden.

“ _No means no._ Or do nobles not learn _that_ either?” He growled, getting defensive over the intense harping upon his love life.

With that he hiked up his skirts and took off, running away into the opening to the intricate covered gardens with Noya watching after him, having stopped at the harsh rebuttal.

The younger man huffed, putting his hand on his hip.

“Touchy…well, I guess I was being a bit pushy.” He sighed extravagantly and glanced back towards the palace entrance.

_I could go back inside…but…_

The more he thought about it, the more he felt increasingly guilty about how he’d acted. The rain was picking up again. If he decided to go into the covered gardens, he’d likely be stuck out here for another hour or so until the heavy rain passed again.

That door back into the palace was looking very tempting, but instead, he moved forward, heading into the gardens.

_I want to be friends with him! So I’m not going to let this slide, he’s got to have bad memories or something, just look at how little we know about Tetsurou-san. Then again…_

Noya paused at the opening to the gardens, hesitating.

_I never really asked Morisuke-san much about where he’s from, either. All I know is he, Kenma-san, and Tetsurou-san grew up together, and eventually ran away from home and traveled together for a period of time before settling in Karasuno. I think…man, now that I think about it, I know nothing about Morisuke-san. Yet I was trying to involve myself in his love life! No wonder he got so angry!_

Determined to properly apologize now, he made his way into the gardens.

_I haven’t been in here in a long time. It’s like a maze, and the hedges grow up so high around the awnings you can’t really see outside._

He paused at another intersection before electing to put his nose to good use.

_His scent…there it is. Strawberry and vanilla, funny, he’s so intense but has such a sweet scent._

He followed that scent, but even doing so tracking Morisuke down was difficult. He had also realized that Morisuke must be extremely fast, since he’d been walking for almost fifteen minutes now, still with no sign of him.

_He better not have circled back around and gone back inside, or I’d be stuck out here for no reason._

Noya considered, looking up at the clear covered awnings and watching the rain pound down on the glass shielding him.

It was then that a far-off noise caught his attention.

He jogged the rest of the way forward and came to a dead end where a bench and several stone pots overflowing with flowers were set up. The hedges grew up around the awnings, with vines of jasmine and large blooming flowers crawling up the supports.

What drew his attention though was Yaku furiously slamming his parasol into the bench over and over again, screeching incoherent profanities.

The poor thing was taking a beating, luckily it didn’t seem like it was broken yet, but if Morisuke kept at it with such an intensity it surely would snap in two before long.

After a few more swings he stopped.

“Dammit!” He shouted, not at anyone or anything in particular, just like all of his previous, far less tame exclamations. He turned and chucked the parasol across the way, where it struck a support pole of the awnings before eventually thudding to the ground. He then sat down heavily on the bench and dropping his head into his hands.

That was when the quiet sound of stifled sobs reached the still concealed Yuu’s ears. Salt mingled in with Yaku’s scent in the air, signally the arrival of tears, which leaked between his fingers and occasionally fell to onto the lacy fabric of his top skirt.

The guilt Nishinoya had been feeling tripled.

Before he could even think about escaping and leaving Morisuke to sort out his feelings alone, the auburn-haired man’s head snapped up, his bloodshot eyes connecting with Yuu’s.

“What do _you_ want?” He demanded voice constricted.

Noya winced at having been spotted before awkwardly making his way forward.

“I…uh…wanted to apologize. I was really pushy and…I didn’t realize it’d make you so upset. Sorry.”

Yaku gave a humorless laugh, dropping his head back into his hands without a reply.

They remained like that for a few tense moments before Noya squared his shoulders and headed in, sitting down next to Morisuke on the bench.

Yaku took a breath, about to yell himself hoarse for the noble to just get out, leave him alone because he wouldn’t understand anything that someone from the _real world_ like Morisuke was dealing with.

Instead, Yuu simply put a hand on Yaku’s shoulder.

“You don’t have to talk about it. But I’m here anyway.”

Morisuke stared at the ground, having not lifted his head from where it was cradled in his hands.

_Why the hell is he trying to comfort me? I don’t matter too him, not really. So why bother? I’m not gonna tell him anything. I made my choice, I need to live with it, even if it’s tearing me apart every single day._

Even so, the sobbing started of his own accord, because _dammit_ those images of what he had to say goodbye too just kept flashing through his head.

All the things he wanted back so badly, but could never have again.

And he didn’t deserve to try and have it with another, not after how he’d left without saying a word.

Noya sat there with him through it all, just rubbing circles against his back, and hoping his presence was helping, even just a little bit.

After a good half an hour, Morisuke’s tears finally dried. He sat back against the bench and rubbed his reddened, tear-stained cheeks with one sleeve.

“…thanks.” Morisuke managed after a moment.

Noya shook his head. “I’m the one who brought it up in the first place. Which I won’t, ever again.”

Yaku raked a hand through his hair before sighing.

“…I don’t want to court, because I technically still belong to an alpha.”

The silence that hung there was weighted with that statement. It was something made in trust, in the knowledge that Yuu wouldn’t be repeating this.

Yuu had no intentions too, but he didn’t understand.

“You…belong to an alpha? You’re mated?”

Yaku allowed his gaze to peruse the hedges all around them.

“No…courting. Or, I was. I don’t know how much you know about us. Kenma, Tetsurou and I, that is. But…we ran away from home at as little kids and wound up being taken in at a different town a fair distance from the mill town where we were from. This town…it had some very influential people in it. People who practically owned the entire region. They were the kings of those small southern towns, because we were so far from the capital that royal influence was next to nothing out there. These people kept the peace, or they didn’t. It was all up to them.”

Noya hesitated. “Not like I’m not curious, because I am. I…you don’t have to tell me this.”

Yaku groaned, threading his hands into his hair in frustration with the entire situation. “Kenma tells me I bottle too much up. Yet I can’t talk to them about it because they already know everything that happened. They sacrificed too, they were hurt too, which is why I can’t talk to them about it. I guess…I’m trying to lessen the load on my own psyche so I don’t have a mental breakdown.”

He then glanced back to Noya, eyes piercing. “It goes without saying that what’s said here never leaves your mouth again, right?”

Yuu put his hands up. “Obviously! If you feel like you need to let it out, then I’m listening, but…I don’t want to feel like I pressured you into talking to me.”

“You couldn’t have gotten me to say anything I didn’t want to. Trust me.” Yaku said.

He then trailed off, thinking back to what he’d been saying.

"I was...an early bloomer. I presented when I was eleven."

Noya let out an audible gasp. "Eleven?" He demanded incredulously.

After all, typical presenting age was between 13-16. It was rare to present at twelve, much less eleven.

Morisuke hummed. "Yeah. So...this guild took us in. A tailors guild. This one man was a guild master, and he took in orphans who would typically grow up to work for his guild. It was a good arrangement for both ends. But…while I was there, I met this kid. The guild masters son. I grew up with him, pretty much. As we got older, he presented alpha. I’d already presented way before that, he'd always known me as an omega, so…it was strange.”

Morisuke cupped his chin with one hand.

“I had feelings for him before long, and…well, I knew I wanted to belong to him. Except, I couldn’t. He was the guild masters son, it was a miracle we were even still allowed to be friends anymore at that point. I took those feelings and buried them as deep as I could. I decided I’d never say a word to him about it. I didn’t want to risk his claim to the empire his Father owned, and I didn’t want to risk my own heart getting stomped to pieces, because there was no way he’d look at me that way. He…”

Yaku gave a soft chuckle.

“…half the lowers in town were tripping over each other for even a glimpse of him. Why the hell would he bother with another runaway his Dad’s guild took in?”

Yuu smiled softly. “But you said courtship, didn't you? So he..?”

Yaku waved a hand dramatically.

“Sure did, before long this idiot shows up with a courtship gift, tripping over his words the same way all the omegas would around him. He proposed to me. I should have said no…I should have turned him down, for his own good, but…I agreed. I said yes. I’d be with him. It wasn’t easy. His Father hated me, so did most of the older guild members. Yet he basically told them to shove it, because he’d rather have me than the whole world that was promised to him. No matter how often even _I_ insisted I wasn’t worth it, he told me I was wrong."

Morisuke scoffed bitterly as if he was remembering the exact emotions he'd experienced during such conversations as those.

"‘Who gets to decide if my omega is good enough other than me?’ Is what he would say. But then…”

Yaku could feel himself getting choked up again.

“…our _accident_ happened, it wasn’t anyone's fault…Tetsurou will have you believe it was all him, but, it wasn't. He did something wrong, yeah, but it all because..well, anyway. I was given a split second to choose between staying with my alpha, which would put a huge risk on him, and running away with Kenma and Tetsurou.”

Morisuke then gestured vaguely with one hand at the surrounding area.

“You can tell which one I went with.”

Noya remained silent, drinking in what he’d just been told.

“So…you never said goodbye?”

Morisuke shook his head slowly. “No. I didn’t get the chance. I had to leave immediately, or go to him immediately. Besides, if I’d tried to say goodbye, he would have insisted he come with us. That would have only made things worse.”

Noya nodded slowly. “That’s…a lot. Though, with how he didn’t care about the expectation and defended you, it sounds like he was pretty cool.”

Morisuke seemed to think about it before snorting. “Not cool, not even a little bit. He was a bumbling idiot for the most part…but…”

His eyes warmed at the thought, and Yuu could see in there that Morisuke still loved him.

“He was kind to everyone, and respectful, too. Despite his position, which he could have easily taken advantage of. And that’s something most alphas I’d met before him distinctly lacked. Most alphas afterward too.”

Yuu hummed. “That’s really cool. People like that are great. It’s what made me fall in love with Asahi at first. How he’s so huge and scary looking, but he’s just a gentle giant. You know, he actually gave me this little gold wire tree in a marble slab for a courtship gift. It’s really pretty.”

Yaku smiled slightly, his memory casting backward to return to three years in the past.

_If he thinks Asahi is huge…ah, he wouldn’t even believe me if I told him._

After all, it wasn’t like they’d ever meet.

Yaku’s alpha was still there, in that small southern town in Nekoma. He’d never see him again, and though his heart ached at the thought, some part of him hoped that maybe he’d found another to love. To devote himself too, and show that unconditional adoration and kindness that he’d given to Morisuke back then.

The omega then put a hand to his chest.

“I still have the gift he gave me.”

He pulled the silver chain necklace he was wearing up, revealing a pendant hanging from it. A beautiful piece of fossilized amber, held within a cage of silver wire.

“Whoa, it’s so pretty! Where did he get something like that?”

Morisuke shrugged. “Dunno. I never asked.” He replied as he let the chain drop, the necklace vanishing back under his clothes.

“So…I guess I’m not gonna be your wingman, huh?”

Yaku snickered in a low voice. “Nope.”

The topic finally did change, and so they spent the next couple hours out there, trapped thanks to the rumble of rainwater crashing down above them. Neither minded though, because they were, unknowingly, planting the seeds of a budding new friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it. Morisuke's own tragic backstory. ;-; Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Morisuke not destroy his parasol in a fit of heartbroken anger, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	17. What Makes Us Strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do they hurt?”
> 
> “That’s what you have to ask?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter I've been alternately dreading and thrilled about updating with. It's pretty heavy stuff but...it's a big reveal I've been wanting to make for a while. I really hope I wrote it well, and I personally feel like I did. So, yeah. Please enjoy~

**_Two Weeks Later._ **

 

 

“Kenma-san! Kenma-san! Are you even listening to me?”

Kenma glanced up from his book at the excitable orange haired omega looking at him accusingly.

“Yeah.” He replied in a one tone voice.

“Humph! No, you weren’t, you were too focused on your book!”

Kenma blew a breath from his nose as he placed a bookmark in and closed his book.

“Maybe that’s because we’re in a library, Shouyou.”He pointed out.

After all, they were.

Kenma had been enjoying the quiet with a nice book, and Shouyou had come barging in and begun talking his ear off.

_Not that I mind._

Kenma considered. After all, he rather liked Shouyou. The young noble had been the first to truly extend a hand of friendship to him at the palace. He was, by status, only a handmaiden, but with his unique situation, many of the servants viewed he and Morisuke more as the One’s brothers.

Not _really_ brothers, but close enough, and therefore Kenma was treated more or less with the same respect as a noble would have.

This had resulted in him becoming rather good friends with Shouyou. Well, with Kenma, good friends was bothering to listen to and occasionally respond to someone talking, but Shouyou didn’t seem to mind. In fact, when Shouyou had first begun talking to him, and Kenma had insisted he always went by his first name, Shouyou had immediately replied that Kenma should call him by his first name as well.

_“Anyway!”_

Shouyou's dramatic voice drew Kenma’s attention, and he decided he’d properly listen this time around so as to avoid Hinata repeating himself a third time.

“I’m going to the spa this afternoon, and I was trying to invite you to come with me. Suga-san is busy with Tetsurou-san, Morisuke-san doesn’t want too, and Noya-san is out with Asahi-san, so that leaves you! I don’t wanna go alone, it’s no fun alone!”

Kenma raised an eyebrow. “Spa?” He repeated skeptically.

Shouyou grinned, nodding excitedly.

“Yeah! It’s this room with this super big tub that had these cool jets that give you a water massage! And hot steam that smells nice, too!”

Kenma hesitated.

_That does sound nice…_

He opened his mouth to accept the invite.

_But then…_

He closed it again, his hand finding it’s way to his sleeved left arm, the fingers of his gloved left hand curling.

_I’d have to be naked, right? …I shouldn’t. I don’t wanna deal with that…_

He made to decline, but then looked back at Shouyou’s eager expression.

_…but he’s been the first nice person to me other than Kuroo and Morisuke…I don’t want him to have to go by himself…but if he sees…then I’d…well, I could always be vague about it…_

He steeled his will, a decision made.

_I’ll find some way to get around it…alright…_

“Sure, I’ll come.”

“HOORAY!” Shouyou threw his arms into the air.

Kenma took on a fond expression at the sight of his new friend looking so happy.

“Ok, well, I’ll meet you at your room at 4 o’clock, sound good? Wear a lighter dress, something easier to take on and off by yourself.”

“Ok.” Kenma hummed, though pretty much all of his clothes were that way.

_Except for the new outfits…ugh…_

 

 

**_4 O’Clock._ **

 

 

Kenma was standing by the door with a towel, wearing one of his lighter gowns. He was absentmindedly running his hand up and down his left arm, thinking about the eventual questions he was likely to receive before Morisuke popped his head out of their shared room to the side of Kuroo’s bedchamber.

“Hey, you got plans?” He asked.

Kenma nodded. “Going to the spa with Shouyou.”

Morisuke frowned. “You are? You sure? If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, don’t let him pressure you.”

Kenma shook his head, long hair swaying back and forth. “He didn’t pressure me at all. He just invited me, and I thought about it, and decided I’d go.”

Yaku walked over to him. “Alright, if you’re sure. You do know he’ll ask, right?”

Kenma resumed his previous activity of rubbing his left arm.

“Yeah.”

Morisuke seemed rather impressed. “I’m proud of you. Not letting it hold you back.”

Kenma hummed softly, a warm feeling in his chest from those words. “Thanks.”

So Morisuke returned to their room, and a moment later there was a knock on the door.

“Kenma-san! I’m here!”

Kenma opened the door, greeting his friend, and the two of them made their way towards the spa.

 

 

**_The Spa._ **

 

“Wow…it’s huge.” Kenma admitted, staring at the massive copper plated tub sunk into the ground, there were several pipes and grates sticking out of the surrounding area and into the walls, which were releasing a steam perfumed with a relaxing aroma. The tub itself had several lounge type seats built into the shape of it, for bathers to rest in as they enjoyed the jets. The floors were made of a white tile painted with small flower designs. Kenma couldn't imagine how much work must have gone into such little details.

“Yup! C’mon, there’s a little changing room over here. We can leave our clothes there.” Hinata gestured towards the door at the opposite side of the room before leading the way there.

They entered the room, and Shouyou wasted no time in stripping off his clothes.

As Kenma had expected, there wasn’t a single blemish to his skin. Not a scratch, nor a single scar. Despite the occasional freckle, it was all natural.

Clean and smooth. Perfect as porcelain.

“You ok, Kenma-san?” Shouyou asked as he wrapped his towel around himself.

“Y-Yeah…” Kenma replied, beginning to have second thoughts.

_He won’t judge…but he’ll be curious. It would have happened sooner or later._

He recalled what Morisuke had said.

About being proud of him, for not allowing them to hold him back.

This gave him newfound courage, and with that, he lifted his dress up and over his head, folding it up and setting it down in one of the provided baskets.

He faced his left side to Shouyou, electing to pretend as though he hadn’t even thought of them. As if they were a natural part of him like they had become after these past years. Like he didn’t even consider there would be anything more than a perusing glance to pass over them.

Shouyou’s eyes were wide, his mouth had fallen open slightly at the sight of his friends bare skin as Kenma removed his undershirt, petticoat, and the rest of his clothes.

He then picked up his towel, looking Shouyou dead in the eye as he did so.

“Something the matter?” He asked.

Hinata swallowed, his face flushing when he came to the realization of how long he’d been staring.

“N-No…not at all. Let’s go.”

They made their way to the tub.

Kenma, for the moment, decided he’d rather ignore the elephant in the room than attempt to explain it.

The elephant in room, causing all this distress?

They were his scars.

He had several on other parts of his body from unrelated incidents, most were smaller. A long thin scar running down his left shin from the time he’d tripped and his leg had dragged across a pointy stone as a child. The burn mark on his right thigh from when one of the betas in his old pack had thrown boiling water at him for trying to sneak food from the kitchen. The small welt like marks left from when his Auntie at the old pack how had beaten him with her crop. The scratch across his abdomen from an accident when Tooru had accidentally cut him while they were play-fighting.

None of those mattered much to him. All of them had truly, honestly, become another part of him, something he didn't even consider.

He knew the ones on his left arm and shoulder were the most horrific.

Deep jagged slash marks ran up his left arm. Inside his forearm and bicep, diagonally across his shoulder, just missing his elbow, another on the back of his forearm, yet another across the back of his wrist. The one that caught the eye the most was the largest of them all. It started just behind his neck, and traveled over, grazing his throat, and ending just above his collarbone. This one stopped and started several times, and a few smaller scars littered his chest and upper shoulder from the way he’d struggled against the one inflicting the damage.

The way he’s screamed and thrashed, but been unable to get away.

Hinata was clearly trying to pretend as though the scars weren’t affecting him at all, and he hit the button on the wall to switch on the jets.

Kenma had to admit it was extremely nice. He was surrounded by warm, bubbly water, the jets working against his body to give him a wonderful massage.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Kenma having rested his head back against the edge of the tub and closed his eyes.

When he cracked one open, he saw Shouyou staring at his scars in a mixture of confusion and awe.

“If you wanna ask, you can.” The words came from Kenma’s mouth before he thought better of it.

Hinata jumped, having yet again been caught staring, before speaking.

“I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Kenma lifted his head and looked to the side at him. "What’s making me uncomfortable is you staring at me. These…”

He ran a hand over the scars, the marred skin that didn't cause him pain anymore, but held such painful memories that they may as well still be fresh as the day they were carved into his body. “…they’re another part of me. Nothing more.”

That was a lie.

Such a lie, made to try and give himself false confidence.

They meant more to him than the burn on his thigh, or the scratch across his chest, or the welts on his back.

Much more.

Shouyou hesitated. “Do they hurt?”

Kenma rolled his eyes. “That’s what you have to ask?”

The orange haired omega seemed to realize how dumb of a question that probably was, and put a hand up, the sound of the water swishing around being masked by the bubbling of the jets. Though it still wasn’t loud enough to drown out their voices.

The handmaiden gave a barely-there smile.

_Out of all the things to ask…he’s worried they’re hurting me?  
_

Shouyou was a good friend, after all.

“No, they don’t hurt me, Shouyou. They healed over pretty well. It's just damaged skin."

Shouyou hesitated, his eyes flitting between the scars and Kenma’s face.

“How…did you get them?”

Kenma exhaled slowly.

He’d known this was coming. It had been this that had made him so hesitant to accept the invitation to the spa in the first place.

He waved one hand to and fro under the water, enjoying the feeling of the jets bubbles against his fingers as he considered how best to answer this.

“Shouyou…you know I never lived in very nice places, right?”

Hinata nodded. “Yeah. You lived in the 3rd Quarter before you moved here, right?”

The long-haired man hummed. “Yeah. Before that, though, when we still lived in Nekoma, something bad happened. That’s where I got these scars.”

Hinata furrowed his brow. “Something…bad?”

Kenma lifted his eyes to the ceiling, letting them trace the grains of the painted wood.

“I was just out of heat."

Hinata stiffened. "Oh, no."

He could already guess where this was going.

Kenma sighed, not letting his eyes leave the ceiling.

"As I was going to wash off, an alpha attacked me. I think his rut was triggered...but I don't really know. He had a knife with him, and when I started struggling, he started cutting me. He slashed my arm over and over, but I still wouldn’t stop trying to get away from him.”

As he spoke, Kenma traced the scars up his arm. From wrist to shoulder, he had nine separate ones that each slash had left behind.

“Then, just when I grabbed his wrist, he brought the knife down at my neck. That’s where this one came from.”

He ran a single finger across the largest scar, the one just to the side of his throat.

“I fought against his arm, pushing the knife away, only for him to force it back down. That’s why it’s so much messier than the others.”

Hinata put his hand over his mouth.

“That’s…awful. But…Kenma-san…did he…you know?” Shouyou didn’t even seem to want to speak the word.

Kenma shook his head.

"I..."

He trailed off.

Just like Tetsurou did with Kei, and Morsiuke with Noya, his eyes were going to a shadowy place.

"...got away. Some friends showed up and got him away from me."

Kenma nodded slowly. “Yeah…that's what happened.”

Shouyou, in true sunshine form, turned the conversation around completely.

“Then, that means you’re strong, Kenma-san! After all, those scars just mean you kept fighting, don’t they?”

Kenma gazed at him for a long second, seeming to absorb the words, before smiling.

It wasn’t that big of a smile, but it was more of one than the ever so slight raise of the edges of the mouth as he typically gave.

“…you think so?” He asked.

Hinata nodded enthusiastically. “Totally! I think you’re really strong for getting through that! After all, you kept on going afterward, and now you're here because of that! That's awesome! You're so strong, Kenma-san!”

Kenma gave a humored huff. “That's…really nice. Thanks, Shouyou.”

“No problem! So, how was that book from this afternoon?”

So, the topic was easily changed.

Shouyou was changing it because he didn’t want to force Kenma to think of dark times any longer. Kenma allowed it to be changed because now, thanks to Shouyou, he had a different view of the scars that stretched up his left arm.

They left the spa after an hour, already planning to come back the next week.

After all, Kenma had nothing to hide.

He was comfortable in own marred, scarred, burnt and bruised skin.

It was just another part of him.

A part that proved he was strong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's all! Kuroo and Mori both have scars on the inside, but Kenma's marked inside and out...I really hope that was well written for you all, I feel really proud of how it turned out. Please let me know your opinions! So, please drop a comment down below, they help Kenma stay strong, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	18. The Best of Birthdays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I was…wait. Is today the 17th? Already?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M THREE DAYS LATE  
> Ok, see here's the thing. I pre-wrote like 70% of this story. And it just so happened that as I updating, Kuroo's ACTUAL birthday, November 17th, lined up near perfectly with the actual date I was updating. But I didn't want to rush through my updating, like posting two or three chapters a day, to get to the birthday chapter in time for November 17th. But I'm sure Tetsurou doesn't mind, it's still here, so happy late birthday Kuroo! Please enjoy~

**_One Month Later._ **

 

Things had settled down after the arrival of the photo book, and the country was now beginning its march towards winter. The temperature was dropping by the day, not like it was extremely noticeably considering the only thing changing was how the raindrops that had once been tolerable were now like freezing pellets attacking you from the sky above.

Kei was currently walking down the hall towards the library, several books in hand. He’d been intending to return them to the shelves and then select some new texts to read.

_Perhaps I’ll re-read that old treasure hunter classic? Hmm…_

As he considered this, he noticed Kenma coming up from the opposite direction. He too had a book in his hands, appearing to have just come from the library, and was now in route to Kuroo’s chambers.

“Good afternoon, Kenma-san.” Kei greeted.

“Hi.” The artificial blonde replied shortly, nodding to the prince.

Kei had been trying to get to know both of his court mates friends better. Morisuke had proved fairly easy to talk too, once you got to know his abrasive attitude, you realized he was quite a kind-hearted omega who just cared aggressively about his friends.

And _hated_ it when people pointed out his height. That was all. Avoid mentioning that, and he’d be all to happy to make idle chatter with you.

Kenma, on the other hand, was proving more difficult a nut to crack.

Not that he was rude, he just didn’t much enjoy _talking._ So as to encourage further communication, Kei tried his best to initiate conversation.

“What are you reading about?”

Kenma’s face flushed slightly. “It’s about folding flowers. I thought if I made a few Kuroo might like them.”

Tsukki smiled, that was something that endeared Kenma to him. He might be soft-spoken and shy, but he was always doing kind things for his friends.

“What spurred this on?

The omega looked up to Kei in confusion.

“It’s for a present. It’s for Kuroo’s birthday.”

Tsukishima felt his heart skip.

“I-I’m sorry, repeat that?”

“It’s for Kuroo’s birthday, I’m making him paper flowers as a present. Morisuke’s going to do them with me. We’re going to make a bouquet and surprise him with it.”

Kei coughed lightly into his fist. “Of course, please forgive me. Ah, when is it again?”

“Tomorrow.”Kenma replied flatly.

Kei’s eyes widened, and the older shook his head.

“Don’t pretend you knew. Doesn't surprise me that he wouldn't mention it.” He mumbled as he continued on by, headed around the corner shortly thereafter.

Kei immediately pulled his pocket watch from his vest pocket and flipped it open.

_November 16th is today…so that makes the 17th his birthday? Why have I never asked him this? He’s never brought it up, but then since my birthday was made a public event, the day of the Selection Ceremony, he had no reason to ask when mine was. That is the only natural conversation during which one would bring up their own birthday._

Tsukishima put a hand to his head, feeling disappointed in himself.

_I have to think of something to do for him! But what…_

He pondered this as he continued towards his study.

_Tetsurou-san isn’t like other omegas…typical things such as new clothes or a fancy parasol don’t impress him. I doubt he’ll even like jewelry…wait._

Kei paused, thinking back to a conversation a few weeks ago.

_He mentioned how Morisuke-san still wears the pendant he received as a courtship gift from his ex. He seemed very enthused by the idea. However, since I never proposed, and he never offered, we have nothing from either of us. That…doesn’t sound like a half bad idea. Then, going with that train of thought, what sort of jewelry would Tetsurou-san favor?_

The cogs in his head turned continuously for the next few hours, trying to conjure up what the perfect item would be the offer.

Money was no option.

He was the Prince, he could have any manner of the finest quality adornments made for his omega, however, he’d never bothered, simply because Tetsurou never acted much like he cared for those types of things. He much preferred spending time with Kei personally as opposed to any gift the alpha could give.

_And…how could I never have asked when his birthday is? All that time I was gathering information and I overlooked something so basic? Pathetic._

Kei’s mind kept turning itself over as he flicked impatiently through his book, not really absorbing the words he was reading.

It would be late into the night before he thought of something. However, when that something finally did surface in his mind, then, dead of the night with a thunderstorm raging be damned, he went immediately to have it fetched for him.

 

 

**_The Next Day (November 17th)_ **

 

 

Kuroo returned to the land of the living when a thump on his mattress shook the whole bed.

He let out a moan and rolled over, dragging his blanket over his head.

“Kuroo, wake up.”

He moaned louder, curling into a ball and refusing to lift his head.

“Kuroo!”

Tetsurou unwillingly popped his head out from under the covers, a scowl on his face.

“What is it, Kitten?” He grumbled, eyes still heavy from sleep as he stared at Kenma’s odd, rather eager expression.

“Sit up!” The blonde insisted, pulling on the taller man's arm until he was propped up in bed.

That was when a bouquet of pink, yellow, blue and red flowers was shoved into his face.

A bouquet made entirely of folded paper.

“W-Wow…” He took it, and it turned out it had been thrust forward by Yaku, who was smiling to him from the foot of the bed.

“C’mon, you’re burning daylight.” Morisuke insisted.

Kuroo sat up properly now, holding the bouquet his friends had made with both hands.

“I…uh…thanks? This is so pretty…what did I do to deserve this?”

Morisuke rolled his eyes. “You were born.”

Tetsurou’s eyebrows furrowed. “I was…wait. Is today the 17th? Already?” He demanded in shock.

Kenma stifled a laugh behind his hand. “You forgot your own birthday?”

Kuroo put a hand to his head, still carefully cradling the paper blossoms in the other.

“Yeah! All that’s been going on…I didn’t even think about it. Gods, I feel awful, I don’t think I ever even told Kei or any of the others it was today.” Kuroo mused this, trying to remember if he’d ever, in fact, brought up his date of birth with anyone.

Other than that brief encounter at the Selection Ceremony when the Grand Priest had demanded of him his I.D, there had been no other time when his birthday had been put openly on display.

_Yeah…there’s no way any of them even know about it._

Yaku crossed his arms. “Well. I know we didn’t do much but fold some paper, but it took us the greater part of yesterday entirely. That’s why we were holed up in our room pretty much all day. Nothing we could buy you would be very impressive, considering you’re nearly princess material, and you could get anything you wanted anytime. So we decided we’d make something instead.”

Tetsurou smiled. “Anything you guys bothered to get would mean the world to me! I mean, you remembered and I didn’t, so that’s already making you great friends!”

Kenma shook his head. “Leave it to you to forget your own birthday.”

“Kenma, you forgot yours.” Kuroo pointed out.

“I did?” Kenma looked lost.

“We brought you breakfast in bed and everything, last month, remember?” Morisuke donated.

Kenma seemed to ponder it before making a soft ‘ah’ sound.

“Right. Yeah, I did forget. Well, you remembered for me.”

Morisuke shook his head. “Well, I’m not forgetting mine! Next summer I want something good since it’ll be my first birthday living it up in the Royal Palace!”

“When was it again? July or something?” Kuroo mumbled, rubbing his chin.

Yaku just raised an eyebrow tiredly.

Tetsurou put his palm up in surrender.

“Kidding, kidding. August 8th, I’ll be on top of it.”

So the day rolled forth.

Kuroo was still having princess practice beaten into his head by Suga, Shouyou, and Noya and the occasional assist from the those three’s mates.

So when he arrived at the reception room they typically used, he was met with the aforementioned omegas all chattering away over a pot of tea.

“Good morning.” He greeted, stifling a yawn as he walked in, taking the open seat at the table.

Suga smiled at him. “Good morning. You seem in a slightly better mood than usual.”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying that after I’ve only said two words?”

Shouyou put his hand up. “You only ever say ‘morning’ never ‘good morning’! That’s why, right, Suga-san?”

Koushi hummed. “Correct.”

Kuroo shrugged as he leaned back against the backrest of the chair.

“I woke up in a good mood, plus Morisuke and Kenma made me a present and woke me up to give it to me, so yeah.” He explained as he reached for the remaining teacup.

As he was spooning sugar and pouring cream, Noya spoke up.

“They made you a present? Why just because?”

Tetsurou frowned, recalling he hadn’t told them what was so significant about today's date. “Don’t make a huge deal, but today's actually my birthday.”

Suga let out a rather improper sounding screech and slammed his palms onto the table, scaring Tetsurou half out of his chair.

“ _What!?_ Gods, don’t just scream like that!” Tetsurou cried out, putting a hand to his chest.

“What do you mean!? It’s your birthday and you didn’t tell us! There’s no way we can get anything together for a celebration now!” Suga exclaimed.

Tetsurou rolled his eyes. “Exactly. I don’t want a party.”

Noya groaned. “But why not? You’re what, 22?”

“Yeah,” Tetsurou replied.

“We would have at least wanted to get you a gift or _something!_ ” Shouyou insisted.

“I don’t _need_ anything!” Tetsurou exclaimed.

“That’s not the point!” Noya cried, crossing his arms and making a huffy sound.

“It would have been so fun if we got everyone together for a party or something. We could have had the kitchens make you a big cake! You know by next year you’ll be a legitimate princess! Just wait until you see the shebang they’ll throw then!”

Tetsurou frowned. “I swear if you tell Rika-san that today's my birthday I’ll kill you all.”

Suga put his palms up. “Harsh. So what, did you guys just like…not do birthdays?”

Kuroo started him flatly. “What part of ‘too poor to even afford food’ do you not understand? We didn’t give a damn about birthdays because we were too busy working on surviving until the next one. Sure, we got some well wishes from our friends or something like that, but we never did parties, cakes, or presents.”

Kuroo hesitated. “We’d make stuff for each other sometimes…but never buy anything. No point wasting money on that stuff.”

Noya scowled. “That’s even more of a reason to have a party now that you _can_ afford it! We understand you were poor, but now you’re royalty! Her Majesty would be more than happy to throw you a party, and you know it!”

Kuroo shook his head. “No thanks. I’m good. No one got this excited on Kitten’s birthday.”

Suga’s eyes darkened. “And when was his?”

Tetsurou laughed awkwardly. “Uh, heh…not while we were here?”

“Liar.”

“Ok, ok, October 16th.”

“WHAT!? We didn’t get to throw him a party either! What about Yaku?” Suga demanded.

Tetsurou shook his head. “His hasn’t come since we’ve been here, and I'm being honest this time.”

“And _when_ is it? It needs to go on my calendar!”

“Ok, ok! August 8th, now calm down.”

Suga dropped back into his chair,pouting.

“You’re no fun, birthday parties are the best! We could be getting all dressed up and celebrating right now, but noooo…”

Tetsurou scoffed. “My birthday, my rules. And my rule is no party. If you wanna wish me happy birthday or insist on getting me a gift I’ll be grateful and all, but I don’t like the idea of everyone going out of their way to throw a party for me.”

Hinata, ever the ball of sunshine, smiled. “In that case, happy birthday, Tetsurou-san! And I’m going to get you a present, and give it to you later!”

Tetsurou sighed, shaking his head. “If you must…thanks.”

After they all finally calmed down and finished their now lukewarm tea, they continued as planned.

The day crawled past, Tetsurou paying no mind to the fact that he was a year older, not really seeing what all the excitement was about. Luckily the trio he’d been with in the morning hadn’t spread the word, although Akiteru had given him well wishes in the hall.

Kuroo hadn’t thought much of it until he realized there was no way the first prince should know about what today was.

He elected in the end to just brush it off.

_He probably noticed it during the Ceremony or something…_

That didn’t make much sense either, but Tetsurou didn’t feel like reading into it to deeply.

_It’s my birthday, after all. At the very least I should be happy everyone here wants to make it special, even if I don’t._

He found himself thinking back to the first birthday party he’d ever been thrown, and the only.

Well, it had been the only because it had been such a damn disaster that everyone decided it was best to never attempt it again.

He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

_It was my fifteenth. Morisuke tried to keep things in check but it went downhill pretty fast. Tooru dropped the cake…which made Hitoka cry because she’d been the one who’d made it…Kiyoko got really angry at Tooru for making Hitoka cry, so she chased him around the yard…Suguru threw a pie into my face…Teru had to carry him away kicking and screaming while Kitten held me back because I nearly threw hands with him. Hajime had to save Tooru from Kiyoko, and Keiji had to swat pieces of the floor cake out Kou’s hands because he was trying to eat it anyway…_

The memory stung, but it was a happy one. It was nice to know that exactly seven years ago today he’d been with those people he so cared about.

Even if he’d had to leave them behind.

Shaking his head, Tetsurou made his way outside.

“Stupid rain.” He grumbled, looking up at the sky, which had decided to open up just now. Large, heavy droplets were pounding the garden.

He popped open his parasol and, after waiting a few minutes for a slight lull in the rain, he made a dash across to the covered walkways.

He shook the water droplets from his parasol and, after rearranging his skirt to ensure he wouldn’t continually trip over it, he proceeded on his way.

_Kei sent a maid to tell me he’d be a little late to dinner…ah, well, it’s not like he knows…unless Suga told him._

Tetsurou shuddered.

_I really hope he’s not trying to put something together, and that’s why he’s late. Is that why he suddenly decided we’d eat out here? Ugh…that would be so embarrassing._

Tetsurou arrived at the glass-domed structure where they’d shared breakfast on his first morning in the palace.

He dropped his parasol into the umbrella stand and walked around the already set table to the opposite side from the door, gazing out of the stained glass.

He watched the rainfall for a few moments, before frowning.

Some black blobs were nestling together in one of the trees.

He cupped a hand, leaning forwards against the glass, and was able to make out that they were crows. Five of them, all huddling together under the leaves of the tree for protection from the storm.

_Five? What was five in that little rhyme Kei told me again…? Um…_

He frowned, screwing up his face.

_One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a mating, four for a…um…_

He groaned.

_Shit, I don’t remember the whole thing._

He pondered on it a few minutes more, trying to recall what five crows had stood for the in the superstitious rhyme, before he heard the door open, and turned around.

“Hey, there you are.” Tetsurou greeted, a smile growing on his face.

Kei nodded to him as he removed the heavy coat he was wearing to protect him from the rain, hanging it on the coat rack by the door.

“My apologies. I had something to take care of, then I came here directly.”

“No worries, I only got here a couple minutes ago,” Tetsurou replied, waving a hand to dissuade Kei from feeling bad.

The alpha drew out his chair for him, and their dinner arrived promptly.

As they were eating, Kei seemed to be a bit preoccupied with something.

“You ok?” Kuroo asked.

Kei nodded. “Fine. Say, would you like to accompany me for a walk after dinner?”

“Well, of course, I would. Isn’t that what we normally do, anyway?” Tetsurou responded, seeming surprised Kei had bothered to ask.

The prince looked swiftly to the side. “Ah, yes. Sorry, I suppose it just came to mind.”

Kei continued to seem a bit nervous throughout the meal, and when they were walking along the covered paths surrounded by flowers and shrubs, he seemed even more so.

“Seriously, you seem to be worried about something. Want to talk about it?” Tetsurou asked, his first instinct, no surprise, was to assume something was wrong.

Kei let out a sigh.

“To be honest, I ran into Kenma-san yesterday, he was exiting the library with a book on folding paper. I asked him if he planned to make something, and he said he and Yaku-san were going to be making folding flowers. It seemed a bit odd that they’d decide to do so, so I asked if it were for any particular reason. His response was that it was your birthday, and they were to be a gift for you.”

Kuroo groaned. “Kitten…yeah, it is. So what? The whole reason I didn’t bother to mention it is because I’m not big on parties or celebrations. It’s nice that everyone wants to do something for me, but I’d really rather just have another regular day.”

Kei nodded. “I understand. Although I still wish you’d mentioned it.”

Tetsurou nodded. “Noted, I probably should have brought it up. Sorry.”

“It’s nothing to apologize for. Though…well…here.”

He produced a box from his pocket, tied off with a small blue ribbon bow.

“Happy birthday.”

“You got me something? You didn’t have too!” Tetsurou exclaimed, looking down at the little box in surprise.

“Yes, I certainly did. What sort of court mate would I be, not getting you a birthday present?”

“The kind that didn’t know it was my birthday until the day before the said birthday,” Kuroo replied, though he did take the box.

“Thank you.”

Kei folded his hands behind his back.

“You can open it if you wish.”

Tetsurou did so and revealed within a silver ring with a shining ruby mounted within. The silver ring had small spiraling indentations with a risen mount that made the ruby appear to be a rose settled in the swirling silver vines.

“Oh…wow…it’s really pretty.”

Kei tilted his head, a barely-there smile quirking at his lips.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Tetsurou sighed, slipping off his glove in order to put the ring on.

“Shame it’ll be covered up most times.” He pointed out as he put the ring on.

Kei shrugged. “I don’t think so. After all, it’s for you, not anyone else.”

Tetsurou rolled his eyes. “How romantic.”

The prince bit his lower lip for a moment before speaking again.

“I just thought, since we never officially had a proposal or an offer or anything of that sort, that you’d like it. Consider it my courtship gift to you.”

Tetsurou smiled fondly down at the ring, before putting his glove back on over it.

“You know, I was actually a bit down about that. That’s really sweet, Kei.”

Tsukishima felt his face dust pink slightly before speaking rapidly. 

“It’s getting rather dark, should we start on our way back?

Tetsurou took his arm. “Sure.”

After a few minutes, it dawned on Kuroo what he’d been meaning to ask Kei when he’d first arrived, but had totally forgotten.

“Hey, remember that rhyme about the crows you were telling me?”

Kei hummed without comment.

“What do five crows stand for?”

Tsukishima mumbled under his breath for a moment, running through the rhyme himself since he didn’t remember the number off the top of his head.

“It’s **_five for silver._** ”

Kuroo gave let out a sharp laugh, full of disbelief.

“No way! Just before you got here I saw five crows in a tree outside! And then you give me a silver ring for my birthday!”

The prince turned his eyes to see his face with a smile.

“Well, I suppose that rhyme isn’t all lies and superstition, then?”

Tetsurou looked fed up. “I’ll need to memorize it properly since I wanna be able to know what the future predicting crows are trying to tell me.”

“I wouldn’t go that…” Tsukishima began before Kuroo let out a dramatic gasp and pointed randomly out a nearby gap in the covered walkways hedge lining.

“Look, Kei! Eight crows!”

“What?” Tsukishima leaned forward to see around Kuroo, and that was when a kiss was pressed to the alphas lips.

It was over but a second later, and such a thing shouldn’t have gotten the prince to blush so heavily, but here they were.

“I-I didn’t see eight crows.” He mumbled.

Kuroo’s face split into a cat-like grin. “I know. I didn’t either.”

Kei’s face continued to redden. “T-That’s cheating.”

Tetsurou practically beamed, something not often seen of him. “Well, you did say I didn't always need to see eight crows for a good excuse...but the look on your face was pretty hilarious!"

He snickered, just then. "You’re turning _so_ red.”

“I’m not in control of that, am I?” Kei snapped, dropping his chin.

So they continued back to the palace, and as the moon rose, signaling the end of the day was near, Tetsurou thought back on the previous 22 years of his life.

_Yeah._

He decided.

_This is definitely the best birthday I’ve ever had._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! Please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo remember his own birthday next year, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	19. Lucky Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yes, I’ve been,”
> 
> “Really? Where?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things of note.  
> 1\. This chapter is the scene I was imagining when I first began fleshing out this story.  
> 2\. I am sports anime trash and no one can stop me.  
> Now that that's out of the way. Please enjoy~

 

**_Winter._ **

 

It was Tetsurou’s fourth month in the palace, Yaku and Kenma were still with him, having settled into the palace life quite comfortably. They did do little things that, perhaps, labelled them as ‘handmaidens’ but in all honesty they were just friends who helped him get stupidly complicated dresses on, or tidied up his bedchamber while he was busy sitting in on political meetings, or talks with the King, or other stuff to prepare him for when he was officially crowned a royal.

Needless to say, it was exhausting.

Which was why, as Tetsurou fled from Suga’s latest lessons, he was looking forward to some actual quality time with his alpha.

The very thought of Kei being his alpha gave his goosebumps.

_Things have been going pretty well. If things keep up like this…we’ll…well, we’ll be on track to make things official during my summer heat. Maybe even spring if things keep going this well._

He cricked his neck as he walked, his two strong entourage not with him today.

Hinata had begged for company to help him manage his tornado of a little sister, and since Kuroo had been with Kei basically all day, he hadn’t needed their assistance.

So, you might ask, why was he so excited about spending quality time with his alpha, when he’d _been_ with said alpha all day?

Well, trying not to fall asleep on your feet whilst entertaining an old as dirt envoy from Aoba Johsai wasn’t what Kuroo would call ‘quality time’ so he was rather eager to get to keep Kei all to himself for a few hours.

No, not like that.

Get your minds out of the gutter.

With this, Kuroo had arrived at the library, and he pushed the doors open without hesitation.

“Kei?” He called into the expansive room.

“Back here!” Came the voice of the blonde.

Kuroo followed the voice, only to find Kei seated in the back corner nook, a massive stack of photo books on the coffee table.

“Hey, looks like you’re busy,” Kuroo commented as he settled down on the other half of the love seat Kei was sitting in, smoothing out his top skirt before leaning against Tsukki’s shoulder.

“What’s this all about?”

Kei tilted the book so Tetsurou could see the photo.

It was of a set of gorgeous worn out cliffs by the ocean, looking like jagged piano keys stuck out into the water.

“A Karasuno merchant recently returned, and he offered photos of his travels to my brother as a gift for the royal support he’d received to keep his caravan going. My brother thought I would like them.”

“Well, that’s sweet of him,” Kuroo commented.

He’d been trying to help out mending that brotherly bond as he’d been here.

Kei gave a hum, his eyes still glued to the page.

“It’s really beautiful, huh?” Kuroo asked, resting his head on Tsukki’s shoulder.

“It is. Perhaps in my next life, I’ll be a traveler. Wandering about the kingdoms, maybe even across the world to the farther off lands.”

“Like where?” Tetsurou played along with his fantasy.

“Seirin, Yosen…maybe even the island chains like Iwatobi and Samezuka.”

“Grand plans.” The omega commented, before looking up to him.

“You’re a prince, you’ve got time and money to spare, why not travel now? Couldn’t you label it foreign diplomacy or something?”

Kei sighed. “If only. The reason I cannot travel is that _I am_ the prince. My Father fears I would be hurt if I were to go too far. I’ve barely ever left the Capital, save for the occasional vacation to the royal manor in the countryside. Granted, she refuses to let my brother travel much further than I.”

“Wow…that sucks. I mean, your Dad’s right, but still. Though, who knows. Maybe one of these days.”

Tsukki shrugged. “Maybe.”

He trailed off for a moment before speaking again.

“This is the shipwreck coast of Johzenji. There are legends of pirate treasure beneath those waves. I’ve read several excellent treasure hunting, or piracy age novels based there. I…I wonder what the people are like. The weather. The feeling of the ocean breeze.”

“Ah, that’s right. You’ve never seen the ocean, then?” Tetsurou asked, sitting up properly to look Kei in the eye.

A somber look overtook the man's face.

“Unfortunately not. As I said, I’ve rarely been allowed to leave this city. The majority of my life has been spent behind the palace walls. Have you?”

“Yes, I’ve been,” Tetsurou replied without thinking.

Kei looked to him in surprise. “Really? Where?”

Kuroo hesitated, chewing his bottom lip nervously.

“Hey. If I say something, you gotta promise me you won’t get pushy.”

Kei raised an eyebrow. “Pushy? Over what.”

Kuroo pointed to the photo, specifically to the tip of the cliff that was in the middle of the photo, the tallest of them all.

“Those cliffs? I’ve been there."

He tapped his fingernail at the top of that specific cliff, his eyes filled with a sense of recognition.

"I stood in that exact spot.”

Tsukishima’s eyes bugged behind his glasses.

“What? You did?”

Kuroo nodded, clearly not fooling around.

“Morisuke and Kenma can confirm, they were with me. We climbed one of those things, the tallest one there. Crazy set of rickety ass stairs, and some parts you’ve just gotta rock climb. Don’t ask me why we did it, but it was worth it for the view.”

Kei looked amazed.

“What…was it like up there?”

Kuroo thought back six years, to the time he was talking about.

He wasn’t bluffing to make Kei happy, he really _had_ done exactly as he’d said.

Climbed that cliff, and stood in that _exact_ spot.

“It was incredible. It felt like you were on top of the world. The wind was intense, and the salt on the breeze was so strong it would make your eyes sting. The view was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Clear blue water and a gorgeous setting sun. It looked close enough to reach out and touch it. Not even the Fukurodani mountain range compares.”

“Wait, how would you know how the Fukurodani mountains compare?” Kei demanded.

Kuroo gave him a sly grin. “Obviously, because I’ve been to them”

“Why?”

“Work, and a bit of play,” Kuroo replied vaguely, and after the lesson he’d been taught when Tetsurou had run away months ago, he knew better than to question it.

“What are they like?”

“They’re beautiful in a different way. A couple of old friends of mine were from this little village in the mountains. It’s like something out of a dream. All pure white snow, pine forests, and mountains stretching up so high they break through the clouds.”

“Through the clouds? I read about it in books but…you could actually see it?” Kei questioned.

“Yup. I could see where the clouds began, and how the mountains just kept going, clear through them. Like they were piercing the sky.” Tetsurou nodded.

“I went with the two of them, my friends, that is, when we were young, maybe I was fourteen? Well, I was presented by then so...fifteen? Don’t really remember, but we took this sketchy cable car that ran off electric power up to this little niche where their village had been built. It was hard to breathe up there. My friend told me it was because we were high above sea level, or something like that. He was used to it since he’d grown up there. You could see the zeppelins coming and going, the little village was a refueling stop for expeditions into the mountains. I walked down by the port and saw all of these massive zeppelins anchoring down, these burly crew members hopping off to get a drink or a bite to eat before they took off into the deeper areas of the mountains. I got to talking with one of them, he was a nice fellow. Told me all about how he’d sailed over the eastern sea to reach the other continent. He’d landed in some province called Sohoku. I’d never heard of it, but I took his word for it.”

Kei was already on it. “Sohoku is part of the Yowamushi Union. It’s a few different provinces that all formed together under a single kingdom, but still keep their own level of individuality.”

They talked for a while longer about the wide world around them, before Kei suddenly put a hand up.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. My Father thinks that since we’ve been hard at work, we deserve a respite. She’s arranged for Yaku-san, Kenma-san, Suga-san, Daichi-san, Noya-san, Asahi-san, Shouyou, Tobio, yourself, and I to go spend a few weeks at the royal families countryside manor. She wants us to get out of the city for a while.”

“While it’s this cold out? Rainy already sucks, but now it’s cold _and_ rainy. At the same time!” Kuroo exclaimed.

Kei smiled. “Well, at least we’d get some time to ourselves, away from all the crusty old noblemen and envoys.”

Kuroo gasped in mock horror. “Kei! You can’t say that about visitors from other countries!”

“I’ve said worse about you.”

“Ok A. Wow. B. That doesn’t count, I’m a citizen, not a visitor, and C. _WOW_.”

At the second wow he put a hand to his chest like he was deeply offended.

Kei shook his head fondly before standing up and offering an arm.

“Well, we should try to get packed. We’ll be departing the day after tomorrow.”

Kuroo reached up and took his arm, standing as well.

“If you insist.” He said with cheer in his voice.

So they left the photo books of faraway lands on the coffee table, and, unlike before, where he’d be dying for more details, Kei felt content to have learned a little more.

_Then again, he did say he ran around the big wide world with Yaku-san and Kenma-san before settling in Karasuno…but I suppose I thought he was exaggerating._

The fact that he’d been to Fukurodani and Johzenji, which were on opposite ends of the continent.

The idea that he had buried his toes in the sand, and kicked his way through the snow, climbed cliffsides and ridden cable cars, and trudged along through the rain right here in the Capital made Kei feel like, just maybe, he was the lucky one.

Sure, Kuroo was the One.

The omega who was selected.

Yet, here Kei was, as the prince who was lucky enough to be his betrothed.

Lucky enough that out of all the wide array of places Tetsurou had ever been, from the cliffs by the ocean, to the mountains that touched the sky, he’d chosen to stay in the stormy kingdom of Karasuno, to settle in the 3rd Quarter, and to come to the Selection Ceremony in the first place.

So what if Kuroo’s name had been lucky enough to be drawn from _the bag?_

Kei was the one who got to have him, and so, he decided, that they were both the lucky ones.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you AREN'T absolute sports anime garbage like I am, all those other 'countries' are just other schools from other sports anime. XD I couldn't resist. Please let me know how many of these you recognized!!! :D Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Kei travel the big wide world one day, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before. Thanks for reading!


	20. The Royal Manor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah, because since we’re pumping loads of disgusting smelling smoke up into the sky, might as well make a fashion statement out of it,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vacation time!!!! Our lovely little group of nobility and royalty will be spending some time out in the country to get away from all the stress of palace life. Man, what a life they have, huh? XD  
> Please enjoy~

**_The Royal Manor._ **

 

 

“It’s huge!” Yaku gaped up at the towering manor, head leaning back in awe at the sheer size of it.

“Is it? It’s just a vacation home.” Noya commented to his fellow omega as headed towards the door, carrying one of his smaller suitcases.

Of course, he was letting the servants handle all of the heavy stuff.

As Yaku was wailing Noya out about learning to at least pretend to be humble, Kuroo looked around.

The manor itself was golden and white, which was a far cry from the dark decor of the royal palace. The gardens were likely more splendid when it wasn’t toe-numbingly cold, so there weren’t any flowers. The grass was covered with frost that crunched under his feet as he walked.

Morisuke was currently fuming at Yuu, so Tetsurou thought he ought to give the smallest of the omegas a bit of room to breath.

“Cute earmuffs, Mori.” He commented down to Yaku.

The omega threw his mittened hands in the air, whirling on Kuroo.

“ _I’m sorry_ I don’t want my ears to freeze off! Get off my back!” Morisuke shouted since this hadn’t been the first jab made towards his fluffy red earmuffs.

The group collectively laughed at Mori’s short temper, and seeing as everyone here had learned what to say to quickly rile him, the poor auburn haired man had been dealing with quite a lot.

Not to say he wasn’t happy too since this was the first time he’d been able to carry on with friends other than Kuroo and Kenma in years.

Of course, though, he wasn’t admitting it.

“Question. Why do we need to wear these?” Kenma asked tiredly, pointing to the cloth mask that currently covered the bottom half of his face, loops hooked around the back of each ear.

“Something to do with pollution levels being high, I think?” Asahi donated weakly.

To be certain, they were all wearing them. Of course, they were made of only the finest breathable material, and were selected to match their respective outfits, but still.

Daichi clapped a hand on Asahi’s back, causing the skittish alpha to jump.

“That’s what they’ll tell you, but it’s really more of a status thing. Another way for nobles to separate themselves from the crowd, as well as to flaunt their wealth. By now, it’s become something of a tradition. That’s why you’d never see any of us wearing them around at the palace gardens, because there, no one is going to see us.”

“Yeah, because since we’re pumping loads of disgusting smelling smoke up into the sky, might as well make a fashion statement out of it,” Morisuke grumbled.

“I like them! They’re cute, don’t you think?” Hinata, ever the glass half full type, pointed to his mellow orange mask proudly.

“Sure,” Kageyama replied flatly, seeming eager to get into the house.

So they headed forward, a pair of servants bowing to them before opening the main doorway.

“For the most part, we’ll be left pretty well alone. There are guards around the outer perimeter, and patrolling the more remote gardens, but the house itself is all to us. The cooks and maids are all staying in the servants quarters out back.” Kei explained back to the three first-timers to this royal treatment.

“Alright, well, let’s all get settled into our rooms and then we’ll probably each wander around a bit, yeah? I haven’t been here in a couple years, I wonder if anything’s changed?” Suga looked around as he said this.

_Look at that, around the group, he talks just like anyone else. This is a side to the nobility that only other nobles see, huh? Or…_

Kuroo shook his head softly.

_Royalty._

Sometimes he still forgot that term encompassed him.

_Royalty. Princess. Imagine if all the guys back at the guild heard this._

He felt a soft give in his heart, the thought of them bring about a somber feeling in his chest.

He shook his head, more internally than externally.

_I’ll never know. So no need to worry about it._

So, with Suga’s plan settled into place, they all dispersed.

 

**_That Night._ **

 

 

“And then Tobio waved his arms at the squirrels on the bench, but then they started chasing him! He freaked out!”

Laughter filled the dining room, at the expense of the resident black haired alpha.

“Yeah, yeah, dumbass, and who was I trying to clear the bench off for?”

Hinata didn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed, only sticking his tongue out at his mate.

“That’s only what a good alpha would do, right? Daichi-san, you’d do that for Suga-san, right?”

Daichi glanced up from his plate, fork poised in his gloved fingers.

“Clear a bench off? Or get chased around by squirrels?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Both.” Shouyou replied.

“I mean, I guess I’d do both, but I’m assuming that those squirrels weren’t your average, because I’ve never had a squirrel try and attack me.”Daichi mused, putting his free hand to his chin as if deep in thought.

“Aw, my hero, cleaning benches for me and protecting me from the squirrels.” Suga laughed, patting the tanned alpha on the arm.

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “This conversation got off track _real_ fast.”

He grumbled, before looking to the side and noticing Kenma and Yamaguchi talking quietly between themselves.

“Oya? What’s going on over there, Kitten? Tadashi?”

Both of them jumped and stiffened as if they’d been caught in the act of doing something wrong.

“N-Nothing! Just talking, Tetsurou-san!” Yamaguchi tried and failed to cover it up.

“Oh, leave them alone. Sooner they get on with it, sooner I get the bedroom to myself.” Yaku said airily.

“What do you mean by that?" Asahi asked in confusion.

“Oh come on, you don’t see it? Everyone sees it.” Yaku insisted, looking back to the stubble-sporting noble with a wave of his hand around the table.

Every head around the table save for Asahi's and, obviously, Kenma’s and Tadashi’s, nodded in sound agreement.

“Ah…how about we talk about something else? They’re sitting right there.”  Daichi stepped in on behalf of Kenma and Tadashi, who were both had burning red cheeks.

“Well, who’s going to do what tomorrow?”

As the conversation continued, none of them knew that there was a shadowy figure outside, perched in a tree, squinting through the rain coming down on the manor house, watching, though the water distorted the view, the upper class as they enjoyed their meal.

In their hands was if or not it was to be their last.

They fingered with the bowstring across their chest, but, unable to make out more than blobs dressed up in finery, they decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

Besides, killing them wasn't part of the plan. Not unless they got desperate.

They descended quickly, about halfway down before they began to leap from tree to tree, swinging under some of the sturdier limbs, easily dodging the reach of the guard's lantern light, and before long, they vanished off into the shadows of the forest.

 

 

**_The Next Day._ **

 

 

“Ok, you know what?” Morisuke declared as he and Kenma stalked down a cobbled forest path.

“What?” Kenma didn’t seem even remotely interested in whatever Morisuke was taking issue with this time.

“I’m glad that those two got their issues out of the way, but now they’re so in love it’s revolting.” Morisuke crossed his arms furiously.

He was referring to Tetsurou and Kei, naturally.

“Hypocrite,” Kenma said without thinking, before wincing.

“Wait no…sorry.”

Sure enough, the moment those words had left his mouth, Morisuke’s huffy attitude had evaporated.

“You’re good…yeah…”

A forlorn smile crossed his lips.

“You’re right. I _am_ a hypocrite. I was the same way, once upon a time.”

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

“I’m happy for him. I am.” He said it again decisively, and Kenma was relieved it hadn’t become a bigger issue.

“You know, between the mask and the goofy hat, I feel like a walking coat rack.”

Morisuke deftly changed topics, and Kenma gave his usual barely there smile to him.

“Better than being cold. I’m actually pretty comfy even though it’s so cold outside.”

Yaku hummed. “Yeah, there’s that.”

The two were out here in the first place, as one might gather from Morisuke’s first comment, because they were originally with Kei and Tetsurou. However, the couple had gotten so nauseatingly lovey that they’d bailed and decided to explore the forest path they’d heard about from Noya.

Kenma was wearing a knit winter headband that covered his ears to protect them from the cold, while Morisuke was wearing a black knit winter hat pulled down past his ears. It practically swallowed his entire head, and with the face mask he also had to wear, all that could be seen of him was a pair of off brown eyes, and the row of freckles over the bridge of his nose.

At the moment, however, he had the face mask pulled down so it remained out of the way beneath his chin. He hooked a finger under the band of said mask, frowning.

“This thing is stupid, there’s less pollution out here than in the city! That’s the whole point, right?”

Kenma shrugged. “It’s another status thing, no point in arguing about it. Also, when we tried to go out without them, Suga-san just about tackled us in the doorway and made us put them on. Besides…”

He pulled his own mask back up over his mouth and nose just then.

“It keeps my lips from cracking from the cold. There’s that.”

Morisuke rolled his eyes but followed suit, drawing the red fabric up over his mouth.

“Fine, fine.”

So they continued walking, falling into a comfortable silence, not noticing the shadow that was looming from the trees just behind them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...  
> ...  
> ...  
>  Welp. That's all folks! * cue looney tunes outro*  
> Please drop a comment down below, they help save Kageyama from the squirrels, and please leave kudos if you haven't been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	21. How We Used to Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I…how? How could we ever be the way we used to?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shadows. DUN DUN DUUUUUN  
> This has been your friendly reminder from the author who had nothing else to type into the beginning notes but still wanted to put something ^-^ Thank you for listening.  
> Please enjoy~

**_The Forest Path._ **

 

Morisuke heard a soft crunch of frost from the trees above, and, running off years old instinct, he whipped his head upward.

“WATCH IT!”

He seized Kenma by the arm and dove forward, just as a towering figure dropped from the branch directly above them. He hit the ground with powerful force, dust floating up from the cobblestones. His knees gave slightly to cushion the impact of his lanky body as it contacted with the ground.

Without a moment's hesitation, the person charged forward at them, seeming intent on knocking them out.

_No weapon._

Yaku dodged to one side as Kenma took another few quick steps backward.

The attacker turned towards him. He had his head covered by a ragged black beanie, and was wearing what looked like nothing more than an old working man's coat and slacks. He had a black bandana tied over the lower half of his face.

His gloved hand swung forward for a punch.

Morisuke nimbly avoided it again and, without thought, he seized the man's wrist and pulled. This knocked the taller opponent off balance, and Yaku drove his knee forward to connect with his stomach.

Small problem.

The skirt he was wearing didn’t allow for that much movement. So instead of striking the attacker, all he managed to do was throw off his own balance and simply cling into the man's arm as he did so.

_Shit!_

He dove out of the way as the man ripped his arm free and turned again.

Morisuke narrowly dodged a punch, it only just grazed his cheek instead of a full-on blow. He then had to drop to the ground as a kick sailed towards his head, it just barely clipped the top of his head. Not enough to do any real damage, but enough to send him off balance.

He sprawled onto the ground.

The attacker loomed over him.

“I need to ask you some…” He began to say something, but Morisuke was still in fight mode.

_How about this?_

He rolled onto his back from where he’d fallen and then jackknifed himself upwards, and with the speed of the giant attacking them, he found the heels of his boots making solid contact with his stomach.

The several heavy petticoats and top skirt he was wearing served one purpose, at least. They cushioned him was what would have been a painful landing as he thudded back to the ground.

He succeeded in his objective though, sending his opponent reeling back a few steps. He scrambled in an undignified fashion to his feet, gloves hands pressing to the ground before he managed to get himself up. Arms pinwheeling because _this_ _damn_ _dress_ was so wide it was difficult to stand back up on his own, he ducked away during the moment it took for the man to recover.

In this moment he shouted.

“KENMA, NOW!”

The only visible feature of the man, emerald eyes, widened.

“Ken…”

That was all he got out before Kenma dropped from the tree just above him and landed squarely on his shoulders, knocking him to the ground, where he then seized one of the guy's arms and twisted it painfully behind his back.

“OW OW OW! KENMA-SAN, STOP!”

Yaku’s mouth fell open behind his mask.

Kenma stopped pushing the man's arm any further up, and it was only the fact that the man didn’t want his arm broken that he stayed down.

“Wait a second…” Yaku stalked up to the captive alpha and yanked his hat off.

Silver hair popped up, sticking every which way.

A perfect accompaniment to those emerald eyes.

“ _Lev!?”_

He and Kenma both shouted in tandem when they recognized who their mysterious attacker was. 

_“_ What are you doing here?” Yaku demanded loudly.

Kenma had, by now, realized the alpha, revealed to be Lev, posed no threat, so he got off his back and released his arm.

The towering alpha sprang up immediately, removing the bandana covering his face as he went.

It was Lev, alright. Toweringly tall above the two of them, wearing beat up winter clothes, and a blindingly bright grin on pale cheeks.

And _then_ he was squishing Kenma.

“We’ve been looking for you! When we heard rumors that you’d been hired at the palace, we came out here hoping to get info out of the nobles!”

“You did _not!_ ” Yaku shouted furiously.

“Lev…let me go…put me down… _Lev!_ ” Kenma protested weakly, trying to wrestle his way out of the alphas death hug.

“Alright, alright. I’m just so glad to see you in one piece! I didn’t even recognize you, how did you get your hair to turn yellow?”

He set Kenma down as he spoke.

Said omega straightened his headband in irritation before speaking.

“Workplace accident.”

“That turned your hair blonde?” Lev asked quizzically.

“Long story.”

Lev accepted this answer, knowing better than to expect a long-winded reply from Kenma, and turned his gaze to Morisuke.

Keep in mind, Yaku was wearing a hat that covered his entire head, a face mask, a full dress with petticoats and all, a heavy coat, mittens, and it was _very_ cold.

Cold, which made him sweat less, and therefore release less of his scent.

“Who’re you? Kenma-san’s new little friend? You're a pretty good fighter for a maid."

Morisuke kicked Lev aggressively in the shins, knocking the alpha onto his knees.

“YOU ASSHOLE! I’M MORISUKE!” He screeched as he yanked down his face mask.

Lev realized who it was, realized he’d just _royally_ screwed up, and laughed awkwardly.

“Mori! It’s you! I…uh…there was no scent and I…didn’t recognize you. I…uh…”

Lev’s eyes were fixed on him, the panic slowly melting away from his face, and it was quickly making Morisuke uncomfortable.

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?” Morisuke demanded, crossing his arms over his chest defensively, bracing himself for angry words, an alphas rage that would soon consume the man before him.

Instead, Lev’s eyes went soft, flooded with fondness.

“You look so pretty.”

Yaku’s face went three shades scarlet.

“Y-You…ok, no, _no…_ ” He covered his face with his gloved hands for a moment before exhaling slowly.

“Why are you here?” He ignored the compliment for this.

Lev looked at him blankly. “Didn’t I just tell you? We’re here to find you guys.”

Morisuke scoffed. “You don’t want us back. Not after what happened. I’ll bet your Dad didn’t even tell you.”

Lev rolled his eyes, getting to his feet, not having any reaction to having been decked by an omega, and casually stuffed his hands in his pants pockets. “Of course he didn’t.”

“Then?” Yaku pressed.

The man before him shrugged. “I did my own investigation. We lied and said we were going on a long series of jobs, but we were really just buying time to find you guys.”

Morisuke turned. “Ok. Then you know what happened, and we’re fine. No need to trouble yourself anymore, just go back home.”

The silver-haired alpha chuckled softly. “I don’t think so. He might be my Dad, but he’s also the guild master. There’s no way he’ll let any of us back in now. He might be a pissy old bastard, but he's been running the guild for like... _ever_. He's totally figured out what we pulled on him. Besides, the real reason we came out here is that Yamada’s old team are after you guys.”

Morisuke groaned. “You think we don’t _know_ that? We’ve dodged them left and right! And as you can see, we’re fine.”

He turned back around, and Lev was a lot closer than he remembered previously.

The affection in his eyes was tangible. It was so obvious how the alpha felt even after these three years, and Morisuke couldn’t deal with it. He took a step backward, widening the space between them.

“You know…it wasn’t just about my Dad, or Yamada’s group…” He admitted.

_What do you mean it wasn’t your Dad or Yamada? That’s the whole reason we’re in this damn mess! How can you say that?_

Yaku put a hand to his forehead, turning his back on Lev again.

“Shut up. Don’t say it.”

“Don’t say it? You expect me to just pretend _we_ never happened?” Lev asked him.

Morisuke groaned. “Of course I don’t, but I…after all that happened…you can’t act exactly the same!”

Lev cocked his head to the side, his eyes looking honestly confused. “What would stop me? Why else do you think I came all this way?”

“Don’t give me some bullshit like you came after _me_. That can’t be true. I can’t handle that.”

Lev smiled, eyes filled with the nostalgia that came from _finally_ seeing Morisuke again. Seeing him right there in front of him. Looking so different after three years of lost time, and yet, still the very same omega he’d known since he was eight years old.

“Some bullshit like I came after you.” He repeated back matter-of-factly.

Yaku stomped a foot, hands fisting.

“Don’t be a smart ass! Stop smiling about everything! Why would you chase after me!? I ditched you!” He shouted.

“For good reason.” Lev countered.

“Your Dad hated me!” Morisuke pointed out.

“And I hate my Dad, so that makes us even,” Lev replied nonchalantly.

He then dared to move forward, stooping slightly in order to look Yaku in the eye.

Morisuke took a few steps backward, keeping the distance between them the same.

“You’re…you’re throwing your empire, and your career out the window!” Morisuke even knew this was a weak argument.

“There’s always rich snobs who want to hire people like us, and that empire? You know I never wanted it in the first place.” Lev approached again.

“Chasing you, my Dad hating you? Don’t you think you’re trying a little too hard? Of course, I’d chase you. My Dad hating you never mattered to us before, and I’ve told him to get off my back over you plenty of times. His opinion has never mattered to me, and that wouldn’t change, even after three years. Also…”

He smiled softly, barely showing a row of white teeth.

“Wow…my _career_ , of all things? You’re just looking for reasons, now.”

Yaku didn’t back away this time, but he pressed his forearm to his eyes.

_That smile…those eyes…dammit, that’s not how this was supposed to go! I was never supposed to see him again! I left without a goodbye, I never wanted to face him, and now here he is! Being…kind…and always smiling…all the damn time…even when I don’t deserve it._

“ _No!”_ Morisuke insisted roughly.

“You can’t be that _nice_. I can’t stand it. How can you be so happy to see me when I took off like I did? After everything you did so we could be together…all the faith you put in me…dammit, be at least a little angry!”

Any force behind his words was lost with how his throat was choking up.

The alpha hesitated briefly, before putting a hand on Morisuke’s, pulling his arm away from his face, revealing teary eyes underneath.

_“I am.”_

He tightened his grasp on the smaller hand slightly, Morisuke flinched.

“I’m angry you didn’t come to me. So we could all leave together, instead of us having to chase you down.”

“You would have come? Ditched the guild? Everything?”

“Absolutely.” Not a heartbeat of hesitation was in his voice.

They stared at each other for a long moment.

“So…now what?” Morisuke asked.

Lev took a shaky breath. Whatever confidence he’d been channeling for the previous words he’d spoken was fleeing him just as fast as it had come.

“Well…you left so suddenly…and I never saw you again so…after all we were still…I mean you were…I was…the way we were. _That._ That’s what I want now.”

Morisuke seemed skeptic.

“You…really want that?”

“Why do you think I bothered chasing you in circles around the continent for the past three years?” Was Lev’s answer.

Morisuke frowned, seeming to consider things.

The alpha seemed to realize how aggressive he was being, so he straightened up, taking a step back, giving Morisuke space again.

“Unless…if you’ve already put it behind you…it was so long ago…I understand…”

He released Mori’s hand, in such a painfully slow way, in a way that showed he didn’t want to let go.

You could almost see it in his eyes, the way his heart was breaking.

That is, before Morisuke reached to his neck, gloved fingers taking hold of the thin silver chain he was always wearing.

He drew up the pendant typically hidden away beneath his clothes. A piece of fossilized amber, held by a cage of silver wire to the chain.

Lev’s eyes widened.

There had been many barriers in the way, trying to keep his feelings from growing. It hadn’t stopped the infatuation he harbored as he realized just what it felt like to be an alpha who loved a lower to the point it felt like a physical fire in his chest. It was against the guild master’s, Lev’s father’s, wishes. Morisuke was another runaway the guild had taken in, and Lev was expected to take over the guild, front, back, and sides. An omega like Morisuke would never be viewed as a legitimate candidate as mate for one of the most influential young alphas in the area.

Yet Lev hadn’t cared, and he’d proposed anyway.

Morisuke had realized all of the stigma surrounding the two of them, but against his better judgment, he’d accepted anyway. They’d courted for a year, happily, with little issue.

Lev brushed his father, and many other voices, off each time he was told Morisuke wasn’t good enough.

After all, who got to decide if his omega was good enough, other than _him?_

To him, Morisuke wasn’t just good enough, he was everything Lev could have ever wanted. Lev knew he’d get mated to Morisuke one day, his father’s wishes be damned. They’d be happy despite what everyone said, after all, they had their friends behind them, and with that group, plus Lev’s family name, no one would dare make a fuss. Aside from Lev’s Father, but he could be ignored unless he decided to be a bigger problem.

It would be perfect.

Then Morisuke had run away, with Kuroo and Kenma, and Lev had never even gotten to say goodbye. He’d been heartbroken.

Yet instead of growing bitter, his first instinct had been to go after him.

His Father had warned against this. Said Morisuke had run off because that was what he did best, that what they’d had would never have panned out, and Lev was better off without him.

Why bother to go after him?

Despite everything, Lev had gone, and he’d never looked back.

Now here he was, with all he’d given up in order to see Yaku again, of course, the fear of the older having moved on was there. It was with him in every step he’d taken in order to arrive at this moment. Going through all this hardship, only to finally track Morisuke down and find out he’d left with no thought to _who_ he was leaving behind.

Yet here he was, staring at the courtship gift he’d offered almost four years ago, still with its thin silver chain clasped around Morisuke’s neck.

“I never forgot. Never could have. Never wanted too.” Morisuke spoke slowly, letting the pendant drop back underneath his clothes, it vanished under the collar of his dress.

“I never…I just always thought you’d hate me for taking off on you. I wanted to go too you but…things went bad so quickly that before I knew it we were running away. I had to decide quickly…and I was also…scared. It had to do with how you’re the Master’s son, would you have really taken our side? It was stupid, of course, you would have…but everything was going so fast and I just…I never even imagined you’d been chasing me this entire time. I…how? How could we _ever_ be the way we used to?”

He was tearing up again, something so very unlike him.

_I can’t say yes to this…I can’t just let myself get caught up with how things used to be…_

The tears were spilling over.

_Dammit, no!_

He hid his face behind gloved hands.

_I can’t say we can be just how we used to…even if it’s possible. Even if he came all this way._

“Then…I…no, I can’t…”

“Make a decision for yourself for once, would you?”

Morisuke jumped harshly, eyes flitting across the way to Kenma, who was leaning on a tree a couple yards away, arms crossed.

Kenma shook his head at Morisuke. “Don’t think about anyone else. For him. For us. Doesn't matter. What do _you_ want?”

Lev looked up at him.

“What does that mean?” He asked.

Kenma jutted his chin back towards Yaku, who seemed to have made up his mind.

_What do I want? Is that even a question by now?_

“If you really mean it…”

Lev seemed to catch on that Morisuke was talking about halfway through that sentence, his head snapping back to look at him from where he’d been looking at Kenma.

“It’s fine by me. To be how we used too. If you still…want me.”

_Though I don’t see why you would…_

The younger man’s shoulders sagged in a mixture of disbelief and relief.

“Still want you… _of course_ I still want you.”

They stood gazing into each other's eyes a moment longer.

“Really?” Lev asked again. Just because after so long it was hard to accept this was reality. He’d finally made it, and he was so close to having his omega in his arms again.

The auburn-haired omega looked up at him, giving the faintest smile against those tear-streaked cheeks.

“Yeah. Really. Because that’s what I want, and I guess I need to think about myself more often.”

“So I can court you again?”

Morisuke huffed, brushing at the tear tracks on his face with the back of one hand. “Yes, Lev, you can.”

“In that case…”

Lev snatched him clean off the ground, wrapping his arms around Morisuke’s midsection and easily lifting him.

“W-What are you..? LEV!” Morisuke all but squeaked as he was suddenly about a foot and half higher off the ground than he typically would be.

“I can’t help it! I haven’t seen you in so long, I missed you _so_ much!” Lev exclaimed, eyes gleaming with joy as he spun around twice.

His serious aura from a moment before evaporating to show the childish persona of the alpha.

The alpha who was Morisuke’s ex, whom he’d left behind to go with Kuroo, without so much as a goodbye.

No letter.

No clue.

Nothing.

Simply vanishing off too who knows where.

Lev had given chase, for years now, and had finally tracked him down. Not only that, but Morisuke had agreed to be his court mate again. To be _his omega_ again. It was unlikely Morisuke’s feet would be touching the ground very often for the next few days.

Weeks.

Maybe even months.

“BEHEMOTH I WILL _KILL_ YOU!” Said omega clearly wasn’t happy about this, and the tender mood from moments before had been all but eradicated.

“I know you could, but you wouldn’t!”

“Put me down!”

“I haven’t seen you in three years, no, I won’t put you down!”

“I’m not gonna be vanishing into dust anytime soon!”

Lev was ignoring the blows that were being rained down onto his back with ease. After all, he was used to this sort of reaction. It wasn’t out of the ordinary at all that Yaku would have a violent response to getting picked up.

That hadn’t stopped Lev back then, and it wasn’t stopping him now.

It seemed Morisuke had tired himself out yelling, because he stopped wailing on Lev’s back, leaning away in order to look him in the face.

It was a bit surreal, suddenly being nose to nose with the alpha he never thought he’d see again.

Still, his feet weren’t touching the ground, and that was something Yaku would be eternally irked with.

So he would say if anyone asked, but being held in Lev's arms again, well, he couldn’t deny it within the confines of his own mind.

_I loved how he would hold me…and his scent…it’s nice…I didn’t realize how much I missed it._

Caving, he nestled his head against the crook of Lev’s neck.

“So you did miss me?” His voice sent a warm rumble through Yaku’s chest.

“Shut up.” Morisuke grumbled, wrapping his arms around Lev’s neck.

“Yeah, yeah…” Lev hummed, seeming content with that.

Kenma watched all this from where he was leaning against a tree a couple yards away, hands stuffed in his vest pockets, with a frown on his face.

“So…you’re back together…and that’s great and all…but how the hell are we going to explain this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT WAS LEV ALL ALONG  
> LONG LEGGY BOY COMING FOR HIS MORI  
> YOU KNEW HE WOULD. MY OTP WAS GONNA MAKE IT INTO THIS STORY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER! Please don't mind me while I shamelessly indulge myself in writing LevYaku bits in here but don't worry, TsukkiKuroo is STILL the main event! So please drop a comment down below, they help Morisuke convince Lev to put him down, and please leave kudos if you haven't been here before! Thanks for reading!


	22. Closing the Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What the hell is going on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! :D Please enjoy~

**_With Kuroo._ **

 

 

_Y’know…this whole thing about love. I remember thinking it was bullshit for so long. Love for an omega was different. Love was giving up your freedom, letting go of your aspirations, doing whatever someone else said, that was love. At least, that was the form of love I grew up seeing. Then I joined the guild, and I saw what real love was. The couples there treated each other fairly. Sure, there were still hints of the secondary hierarchy, but it was so different. Uppers got protective because they loved their lowers. Lowers got jealous and territorial because they loved their uppers. Sure, it could get messy, but at least it was real._

Kuroo was walking out in the back gardens with Kei. There was a high stone wall covered in ivy that was lined with shrubs that were probably flowering beautifully at this time six months ago.

Tetsurou turned his head to the sky.

_Impressive, seems like the rain might hold off the rest of the afternoon. Hope so, I didn’t bring my parasol. Then again, those things are pretty useless in anything more than a drizzle._

He glanced back to his alpha, who was sitting on a bench by the wall, gloved fingers thumbing through a book.

_Of course, he brought a book…_

“Hey, why not look up for a change? Even if it’s winter, this garden is still incredible.”

Kei lifted his head as requested, a cursory sweep of his eyes across the garden bringing him to meet eyes with Kuroo.

“Not quite the one at the palace, but it’s fairly impressive.”

Tetsurou rolled his eyes. “If you think those twigs at the palace are impressive you should see the redwoods out in Aoba Johsai.”

Tsukki quirked a brow.

“Red…woods? What are those? Trees?”

Kuroo nodded. “Taller than mountains. You could climb for hours and never reach the top. They’re also as thick around as twenty of those.” He pointed to the tree growing in the garden at this.

Kei shook his head fondly. “And let me guess, when I ask why you know this, your answer will be ‘I went because of work’ won’t it?”

Tetsurou winked. “Now you’re catching on.” He replied before walking over to the bench and sitting down.

“Remind me why the stupid masks?” Kuroo asked, already knowing the answer, but hoping this would get his alpha’s nose out of the book and have his attention directed towards him.

Tetsurou was feeling ignored, could you blame him?  


Kei shut the book softly.

“We’ve been over this. The ‘reason’ is because of high levels of pollution in the air. The _real_ reason is that it’s meant to separate nobles and royalty by means of social standing. Nicer mask, higher rank.”

“Like there’s not already a big enough gap there.”

Kei sighed. “I’m not a King, I’m a Prince, so I don’t make the rules. Besides, these traditions have been in place for decades, even if I was King, there wouldn’t be much I could do about it.”

Tetsurou crossed his arms. “Just feels like overkill.”  
“You’re telling me. I’ve had to wear them outside of the palace ever since I was a little kid.” Kei muttered.

The conversation continued along that vein, with both of them wearing heavy coats, winter hats, and the aforementioned face masks, the cold’s bite was significantly numbed.

Either that or they were both just getting frostbite, but either way, it was rather refreshing as opposed to how the last few weeks of near constant thunderstorms had kept them trapped inside the palace.

“So, you think we’ll get rain out here?” Kuroo shaded his eyes and looked up at the overcast skies.

“At some point, of course. More likely than not it’ll be raining most of the days we’re here.”

Tetsurou hummed without comment.

Kei lifted his gaze, look towards the top of the wall without any particular purpose to do so.

Instinct in disguise?

Seems so.

“LOOK OUT!” Kei shouted, grabbing the omega by the arm and pulling him off the bench just as a figure wearing a dirty white peacoat and black slacks dropped from the wall above.

If Kei had looked up a second later, they would have been upon them.

Instead, their boots hit the seats of the bench. The old wood groaned under their weight.

The rapidness at which Kei had pulled Tetsurou up and all but flung him forward sent him toppling backward into the frost-tipped grass. His skirts billowed around him like fallen flower petals, the soft cottony fabric settling around him, the billowing caused by such an abrupt fall smoothing softly as they rumpled on the ground.

The shady looking character before them had their head covered by an equally dirtied white knit cap, and a gray facemask, of lower quality than those of nobility, was pulled over their face, hiding all by a set of black flaked golden eyes. They had slitted pupils like some sort of animals eyes. As they squatted on their haunches on the bench, one gloved hand gripping the edge of the bench, their eyes met with the prince, disregarding Kuroo completely.

“We’ve got some questions for you.” The voice was deep, and Kuroo knew he recognized it from somewhere, but the words spoken were such a cause of alarm that he didn’t bother to overanalyze.

_That’s too convenient…it’s them! They must not recognize me…Yamada’s group was pretty big, all of them were alpha or beta males…which one is it?_

However, even as he got to his feet again, quite a struggle with the thick winter skirts he had on, Kei stepped in front of him.

“Who are you? This is the private estate of the royal family, you could be facing serious consequences for coming here unannounced. I’ll give you one opportunity to leave.”

It was now that a second head appeared over the edge of the wall. The shoulders of a dark blue high collared jacket made themselves visible, with a black winter hat and a face mask similar to the one the attacker himself was wearing.

This one didn’t seem to have any intentions of joining the confrontation, however, having just propped their arms up on the edge of the wall, watching.

Kuroo squinted up at him.

_It’s too far, I can’t even make out what color their eyes are, and with their faces and hair covered, there are no identifying features. Not that I knew Yamada’s crew all that well in the first place._

The one on the bench stood up, stepping down off the boards the royal couple been sitting on moments earlier.

“I’ll decline, thanks. It took me a long time to get a lead this hot, and I’m not letting it slide.” He replied, putting a hand on his hip.

He then looked down to Tetsurou, nothing more than a perusing glance.

Kuroo then realized his own identity was well enough concealed by his own face mask and winter hat. His telltale spiky black hair had been flattened under the hat, and without his face being visible, he probably just looked like a particularly tall noble omega.

_Should I take off the mask? If I do he’ll go after me instead of Kei…but then Kei will know…_

He flexed his fingers, trying to find the right answer.

It appeared, however, that he was taking too long.

“We’re looking for a guy named Kuroo Tetsurou, might have two other omegas with him? Yaku Morisuke and Kozume Kenma.”

Tetsurou saw the way Kei stiffened up, clearly having not expected this to be the information the man was after.

“Never heard of them. Would you kindly leave now?”

The white-coated figure titled his head to the side. “Oh? You don’t know’em? Hey, hey, hey, you sure ‘bout that? Because I _know_ you know something, you’re from the royal palace, right? We’ve heard rumors, and we’ve already scoured the 3rd Quarter over.”

“You think I know every servant in the palace by name?” Kei pointed out.

The character before them sighed, cricking his neck one way, then the other.

“Probably not, but with how defensive you’re getting, I’d have to guess you do know at least one of them. If you don’t, well, guess you’ll have to forgive me for not believing you.”

“ _I’m_ being defensive? You’re the one who showed up unannounced and tried to pounce on us!” The prince exclaimed.

The only feature visible of this man, his eyes, sharpened.

“I’ve been searching a _long time_ , I can’t give up on this lead so soon.”

Kei took another slight sidestep, this moving him so he was completely in front of Tetsurou.

Said omega grabbed Kei by the shoulder.

“What are you doing?” He hissed into the alphas ear.

Kei shrugged his arm off.

“It’s my first priority to protect you, remember?” He replied quietly before moving forward again.

The intruder put his palms to the sky. “So you’re a good noble alpha trying to protect your omega, huh? Good on you, pal! Though I wouldn’t try to hurt him for no reason. I'm a gentlealpha too, you know? So, just to make things clear, I’m stronger, faster, and more experienced in a fight than someone like you. So…you see? I’m not here to hurt anyone, I just want the scoop! Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll turn right back around, hop over this wall, and be out of your hair.”

Kei's gaze steeled behind his spectacles, and he said nothing.

The guy before them sighed, putting his hands on his hips.

“If you insist, I guess I can tussle with you for a little bit to make you see sense.”

For such a large man, who’s muscle was visible even under the thick coat he wore, he moved lightning fast.

He was in front of Kei in an instant, reeling back his fist and delivering a punch to the stomach.

The prince had the wind knocked out of him and dropped to his knees, wheezing.

“See? You haven’t got a chance, now I…” Before any further gloating could be had by the attacker, he found himself getting punched in the face.

By the omega he’d been ignoring until now.

“What are you doing?” Kei demanded, although with barely any force to his voice from the punishing blow from earlier.

“Protecting you, idiot,” Kuroo grumbled.

The man had stumbled back a few steps in surprise before wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.

“Damn! I didn’t think you’d hit that hard! Nice one!”

_Where have I heard that voice before?_

Kuroo was addressing it now. Yet still, the answer eluded him.

“Shit, and I didn’t think you were worth the time of day. Sorry for ignoring you earlier.”

The attacker straightened up, nothing but an ever so slight scratch on his cheek to show for the punch.

_That’s probably from my ring…_

Tetsurou considered, after all, he was wearing his courtship gift/birthday present under his glove.

“Well…I don’t particularly like to wail on omegas, but since you went at me the way you did, I think it’s only natural I do you one better. Don’t worry, I won’t hit as hard as I did your alpha.”

The man moved again. _Fast._ He shot across the space between them planting a foot to the left of Kuroo and making to drive his fist up into the omega’s stomach.

He would have if Tetsurou hadn’t moved faster.

The raven-haired man dodged to the side, and the man's fist struck nothing but empty space.

Kuroo grabbed a fistful of his dress and lifted it enough to free his legs for some movement.

Enough to take advantage of the close quarters and knee the alpha before him right under the chin. This caused his head to snap painfully backward, to which Kuroo grabbed the top of his head and pulled down, slamming his knee upwards again, this time into the guy's chest.

Now he was the one with the wind knocked out of him. However, he was used to the feeling, he’d felt it many times before, so he hit the ground and rolled in order to avoid Kuroo pinning him.

He bounced back to his feet, chest heaving.

Tetsurou darted forward and punched him in the stomach.

Only for the attacker to reel back and land a blow to Kuroo’s chest.

_Shit, I’m out of practice!_

Tetsurou thought as the blow sent him staggering.

He lifted his head just in time to see a roundhouse kick coming for his head.

He let his legs give from under him and dropped to the ground, his opponents boot passing mere inches above his head.

_Gotta move while he’s still taking me lightly._

Tetsurou gathered his feet under him and launched back up, landing multiple punches before the attacker could recover.

This really sent him reeling, he backed off several steps, and from the corner of his eye, Tetsurou saw the one who’d merely been observing straightening up, planting their hands on the stone wall as if about to vault over.

_Reinforcements? Peachy._

Just as he was about to take another pass at this attacker, Kuroo realized three things.

  1. He’d just forced back an alpha, in front of Kei, who’d surely be asking about that later. 
  2. He was holding the alphas cap, which had come off in his hand when he grabbed the mans head.
  3. The man had hair like a set of horns, white streaked with black. 



“Wait…wait…wait…” Kuroo put his hands up, dropping the hat to the ground.

“Kou? Koutarou?” He said, barely a whisper, praying it wasn’t true.

Bokuto lifted his head, eyebrows knitting.

“How do you know my name?” He pulled down the mask, revealing the rest of his face.

_It’s him…it’s really him…_

“Bro!” Kuroo pulled his mask down.

Koutarou’s eyes bugged, and from the wall above the still silent one watching seemed to recoil slightly in shock.

“Tetsurou…? Is that actually you?” Koutarou asked, not seeming to dare to believe it was really the omega he’d been searching for.

“Bro, what are you doing here?” Tetsurou demanded, lowering his arms to his sides.

After all, from Bokuto, he had nothing to fear.

“What the hell is going on?” Kei demanded from behind, still on his knees with an arm wrapped around his now thoroughly bruised stomach.

“Erm…this is…my…kinda sorta not brother but close enough to count?” Tetsurou replied idly.

After all, his and Koutarou’s relationship was one that could only be deemed… _unique_.

“BRO!”

Bokuto rushed forward and wrapped Kuroo in a crushing bear hug.

Despite not wanting him here, despite having run away, for the moment, the now royal had to admit he was almost moved to tears, seeing such a dear friend again.

“Ok! Ok! I’m sorry, I missed you too!” With the one free arm he had, Tetsurou patted the alpha on the back.

Kei got unsteadily to his feet.

“Kinda sorta not brother?” He repeated, frowning.

Koutarou glared at the prince.

“Yeah, and what do you care?”

“Bro, he’s my court mate,” Kuroo admitted with a sigh, patting the horn haired alpha on the shoulder. 

Mind, he was still being hugged rather aggressively, his feet were off the ground a few inches.

“He’s your WHAT!?”

Koutarou put Kuroo down, and then crossed his arms, pouting

“I didn’t even get to properly intimidate him…! I was so ready to scare off anyone who was coming for your hand! Dammit!” He whined.

Tetsurou shook his head fondly.

“Never too late, but we can deal with that later. Now, more important, what are you doing here?”

“Well, we _were_ looking for you, since you ran away all of the sudden.”

The voice came from above, and Kuroo turned to look to the observer who’d been leaning on the top of the wall.

Now standing on it, it was clear to see what they were wearing beneath the jacket. A black, flat looking skirt that had pleats sewn into it. The bottom had a ring of white ruffles that were rather dingy looking, likely due to how long the skirt had been worn. It reached only down to mid shin, making visible the black leggings he wore, with a pair of equally worn out looking brown boots lanced up with leather laces.

“Who…wait, I know, Keiji! So that’s you, huh? Still babysitting this idiot?”

The omega atop the wall sighed as he pulled down his mask, revealed himself to, indeed, be another of Kuroo’s old friends, one Akaashi Keiji.

“Unfortunately.” He replied with a hint of humor to his voice.

“AKAAAAASHI!” Bokuto exclaimed, stomping his foot quite as a child would do.

Keiji jumped from the top of the wall, gracefully landing in the grass, bending his knees to cushion the impact, and placing a hand to the ground to steady himself.

Kuroo walked over to him, smiling.  
“You could have sent a letter.” He teased.

Keiji stood up, looking tired. “We didn’t know were to send it.”

Tetsurou wilted, recalling the very reason he’d been split from them in the first place. “Fair.”

Akaashi then pulled Kuroo into a hug as well, seeming to take comfort in the older omegas scent as he did so.

“We were worried sick. How could you just run off like that?”

Kuroo hesitated, before hugging back and decided there was no chance Kei would hear.

“I didn’t want to face the music.”

Keiji released him, looking up to his face.

“What music? Who could have blamed you?”

Kuroo’s eyes widened. “The Master, for one...wait, you know why I…you know?”

Keiji nodded. “It wasn’t hard to piece together after we investigated for a while. Koutarou immediately insisted we find you, Morisuke-san, and Kenma. Lev seconded the idea, and before we knew it we were taking a long series of requests and headed off. Not to do the requests, but to find you three. You're right, I doubt the Master would have forgiven you, but we would have. Forgiven is the wrong word, we would never have blamed you in the first place. We all could have gone together. For so long I’ve wished for that. We’re just not the same without you three.”

Kuroo seemed shocked. “How long have you been looking?”

Keiji shrugged. “Two and a half years. Almost three, if you count the time we spent investigating what had really happened, and the few weeks afterward when we were split over what to do.”

Tetsurou groaned. “What? You guys…you…wait…who even is ‘we’?”

Keiji looked to Kei, who was still standing by with Bokuto, watching their entire interaction with a piercing stare.  
“Tell you later.”

“OH SHIT!” Bokuto shouted all of the sudden, throwing his arms up.  
“What?”

“What is it?”

Both Keiji and Tetsurou whirled to face him.  
“ _Tooru!_ We’ve gotta stop Tooru!”

“Tooru’s here? Wait, what did you tell Tooru to do?” Kuroo demanded.

“We told him to stand watch and keep an eye on the guards. If any of them come near here, he was supposed to take them out.”

“Take them out?” Tsukki asked suddenly.

“Please tell me you mean with a punch. Or a kick. Or his god awful flirting skills.” Kuroo pleaded.

Bokuto swallowed. “Nope.”

“Shit. Let’s go.”

However, as Kuroo was making to follow the two of them, who had already made to scale the wall, Kei grabbed him by the arm.

“What is happening?” The prince asked him, this time with a hint of desperation to his eyes.

“I…a lot of stuff…a lot of stuff I avoided telling you about, that I’m not proud of. But these guys and the people who are with them are the family I chose for myself. They’ve been trying to find me all these years. I gotta go and make sure Tooru doesn’t do something stupid.”

“Like _shoot_ someone?” Kei demanded.

Kuroo put a hand up. “Chill, he couldn’t afford a gun. Tooru’s broke as I am. Or. Used to be.”

Kei relaxed slightly. “Oh good, then he…”

“Bow and arrow. He’s gonna use a bow and arrow. He carves his own to save money.”

“Oh, my gods!” Kei shouted, his usual reserved manner was flying out the window.

“Tetsurou-san, don’t worry about it! We’ll go get Tooru-san and bring him and the others back to the front gate! It’ll take a while to get everyone together, so expect us around sunset!”

Keiji called back.

“Yeah! Hey bro, do us a favor, make sure we won’t get arrested! _Again!_ ” Bokuto shouted.

Then the two of them jumped up to the edge of the wall, pulled themselves over, and disappeared as fast as they had come.

Kei looked back to Tetsurou.

“You’ve got to tell me what’s going on.”

Kuroo put a hand to his head. “I know…I know…I just…if I tell you…”

Tsukishima gently cupped his cheek.“If you tell me, then what?”

Kuroo avoided his gaze. “You’ll think I’m a monster.”

Kei leaned a bit closer and then gave his a barely-there kiss.

“If I’m in love with a monster, then that’s my problem. Whatever you’ve done, I’ll find a way to accept it. With how your friends seem to deal with adversity…I’ve already got a rather gruesome guess.”

Tetsurou shook his head slowly as if he were denying the truth to himself as well.

Kei decided it was time to break the silence.

“You’ve…killed someone. Haven’t you?”

The words left a bitter tang in his mouth. Even more so did the sight of Kuroo biting his lower lip in a way that showed he didn’t have the words to give the answer.

“I…you…”

He tightened his grip on Kei’s arm.

“I’ll tell you. What happened, who I was, and the whole reason I ran away in the first place…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE COUPLE YOU'VE ALL BEEN ASKING FOR! BOKUAKA HAS ARRIVED! :D  
> They also brought a bumbling behemoth and a grouchy grand king ;)  
> The big reveal is coming! Any ideas of what actually happened need to be settled now, because next chapter we'll be getting into the REAL SHIT! :D  
> Well, that's all for now, please drop a comment down below, they help BokuAka stop Tooru from shooting anyone, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	23. 10 Years Ago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just leave us alone, ok! We’re fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are beginning the trek into Kuroo's shadowy past! Finally! Please enjoy~

**_10 Years Ago._ **

 

 

“You ok?” Kuroo looked to the side.

As a child, it wasn’t as though he were all that tall, but he was still looking down to his friend, Morisuke.

His hideous yellow pinafore was absolutely filthy, covered with flakes hardened muck, and a large tear running down one arm. The tear ran along the same line as the long, deep cut on his bicep.

“Fine. I can go longer.” Morisuke insisted.

He was eleven, just shy of twelve, and so was Tetsurou. The boy Tetsurou was currently carrying on his back, who’d fallen ill along their journey and could no longer manage to walk very long on his own, was ten.

Out of the three, Morisuke was the one for whom they’d run away.

Then again, they’d been planning it for as long as they could remember, just not so soon. Not so suddenly, with only the clothes on their back.

Morisuke was only eleven, he should still have had a few years left before presentation. Yet he’d woken up broken out in a cold sweat one day. His scent changing, his body rewiring itself as he presented.

_Strawberry and vanilla…_

Kuroo considered as he scented the air surrounding Morisuke. That was his scent now, sweet and fragrant, nothing like the heavy, natural scents of alphas, or the more neutral, most times pleasant scents of betas.

Morisuke presented omega when he was eleven years old.

Their pack wasn’t happy. Not at all. They already had several omegas, females, who were either the children of the head alpha and head omega, or were there solely for the entertainment of the remaining alphas and few betas.

An old-school pack to be certain, they had the betas for nothing more than menial tasks, and in exchange, they got an occasional night with one of the omegas, and a share of the money brought in.

Morisuke, however, a young omegian male, wasn’t a very desirable addition. After all, the three of them were only welcome in the pack, found abandoned on the street, because the head omega had taken a liking to them. As small children only, now that they’d grown past the babbling stage, she’d all but discarded them to the side. They were only allowed to stay on the chance they’d present as alphas or betas. Then they’d be somewhat useful, at least.

A young omegian male, though?

In a small town like theirs, he was worthless.

There was no one around who’d want to pay a dowry for him, not with the poverty that they lived in. It was typical, in such a town as theirs, for omegas to be sold to shelters by the packs. Shelters were basically businesses where alphas could go and pick out omegas they liked to have as their mates. In exchange, the omegas were fairly well taken care of. They were extremely popular in Nekoma, more so than in any of the other kingdoms.

Perhaps Morisuke would have allowed that to happen if that didn’t mean he’d be separated from Kuroo and Kenma forever.

Yet, the arrangements had been made sooner than they’d expected, and Kuroo had seen what was about to happen.

He’d then proceeded to kick the alpha there to collect his friend in the crotch and make a run for it. He’d gotten a pretty awful beating, too, he’d had to roll with several rough punches in order to escape the officers. He was lucky they were trying to get him out of the way as opposed to catching him.

Long story short, Tetsurou was black and blue, but they’d gotten away.

Morisuke and Kenma, were, miraculously, without more than a few scratches, save for the gash along Yaku’s arm that had been dealt by their crazy knife and crop wielding Auntie.

“Want me to carry him for a while?” Morisuke asked, looking up to the ailing Kenma.

He’d been like this for about a day now, unable to support his own weight, feverish and clammy, and trembling uncontrollably.

“No, I got it. Besides, you shouldn’t carry something heavy with your arm like that.”

They walked for hours longer, until their feet felt numb, and as they did, Kuroo looked up to the starry sky.

It was an infinite sky of shining white stars stretching across towards the horizon.

They looked close enough to touch, and sometimes, as nothing more than an eleven-year-old boy, Tetsurou would wish he could grab one right out of the sky.

_Maybe I’d fly away with it? Somewhere where nothing hurts, and everyone doesn’t hate me. I’d take Morisuke and Kitten with me…they’d get their own, right? Maybe we’d all ride together?_

Childish musing aside, he noticed the crack of a twig just behind them.

He spun around, and his momentum nearly sent the now unconscious Kenma’s weight off balance.

Just as he was about to drop him, a boy wearing a tattered blue dress, with a white collared shirt underneath it, and the skirt falling only to just past his knees, jumped from the brush and supported him from the back.

“Got him? He’s already sick, it’d be bad if he fell!” The boy exclaimed, helping Kuroo to steady his friend back onto his back.

“Who are you?” Morisuke demanded, fisting his hands in preparation to make a go at fighting back if they were about to be captured.

The boy turned to him, a wide smile on his face. “I’m Oikawa Tooru! I live near here. What’s your name?”

He seemed innocent enough, so Morisuke replied in turn, rather shyly.

“I’m Yaku Morisuke.”

“That’s a cute name! Does anyone call you Mori-chan?”

“No! Don’t call me that!”

“Mori-chan sounds so cute though!’

“Shut up!” Yaku insisted.

Oikawa then turned to Kuroo.

“What about you? And…I’d ask your third friend, but I don’t think he’s gonna answer.”

Tooru said, threading his fingers together behind his back.

“I’m Kuroo Tetsurou. This is Kozume Kenma…he’s been like this since yesterday. We’re not sure why.”

Tooru walked forward, suddenly, but before he could come closer Kuroo backed away.

“Just leave us alone, ok! We’re fine.”

Tooru crossed his arms, sticking his tongue out. “You don’t look fine! If Ken-chan there has a fever too high, he’ll die! You can come with me, we’ll give him medicine and make him feel better.”

“Shut up! He’s not gonna die, and we’re not going with you! What do you know?” Kuroo roared back.

“I know it!” Tooru replied snippily.

“How? What does some kid like you know about anything?” Tetsurou demanded.

“You’re a kid too! I bet we’re the same age!” Tooru exclaimed in retaliation.

“Oy, Trashykawa, what are you doing?”

Kuroo turned, slowly this time to avoid Kenma falling, too see another emerge from the brush. This time it was a boy wearing brown slacks, a worn looking white button up, and a set of black stretched out suspenders.

“I’m trying to help! Their friend has a fever, I told them if they don’t let us help he’ll die!”

“Shut up! Kitten’s not gonna die!” Kuroo snapped again as Morisuke came to stand beside him.

“Yeah, so leave us alone!” Morisuke attempted to him back up.

The boy frowned, his short spiky hair stuck up at odd angles from his head as he brushed a hand through it.

“Ok…if he’s hot, it means he has a fever. We wanna help, y’know? No strings attached.”

Morisuke narrowed his eyes. “Like we’d believe you.”

He put a hand to his chest. “I’m Iwaizumi Hajime. I know we might not know each other, but this guy and I were wandering around out here after running away from home too. We wound up at our guild, though, and they took us in and took care of us and they teach you how to make a living too.”

Kuroo hesitated. “Al-Alright.” He finally conceded.

“What?” Morisuke hissed up to him.

“Just until Kitten gets better! Then…then we’re leaving again, got it?” Tetsurou insisted.

Iwaizumi shrugged. “If you say so. It’s your choice. Then, come with us.”

He turned back and walked away without another word.

“Iwa-chan! I wanted to be the cool one who brought them back! No fair!” Oikawa gave chase, his chest puffed out self-importantly.

They trudged through the forest for a few minutes in silence before they emerged at the back of a large long building that had several stories, and a few spire like constructions that came up from the roof. The walls had old steel beams for supports, they showed through, likely due to the buildings age, and many windows lined the levels.

“What is this place?” Morisuke asked, looking up curiously, yet all the same, he stuck close to Kuroo’s side.

Oikawa bounced ahead of them.

“This is the Half Moon Tailor’s Guild! It’s super big because there’s a whole bunch of equipment inside! For…y’know…Tailor’s stuff!”

Kuroo didn’t comment but followed Hajime instead.

They headed inside to be caught in a bombardment of children who also looked to be around their age.

“Who’re they?” A girl with large circular glasses on his nose asked, a mop of black hair sticking from her head.

“Why are you all up?” Iwaizumi countered her.

“Because we noticed you were missing! Why do you always wander off at night?” A boy with brown hair in an equally bed-headed fashion demanded. He was wearing green pajamas and had a stuffed yellow canary under one arm.

Iwaizumi shrugged, and Oikawa bolted forward.

Before they knew what was happened, they were being introduced.

Shimizu Kiyoko.

Daishou Suguru.

Yachi Hitoka.

Terushima Yuuji.

Apparently, there was the son of the guild master who also played with them, but he slept at his family house instead of in the guild dorms. His name was Haiba Lev.

Kuroo tried to ignore the whirlwind of fondness he got as he watched Kiyoko clear off her own bed and lay Kenma down in it. Carefully tucking him in and sending Terushima to go fetch some cool water.

When the boy returned, she dipped a cloth into the water and began wiping the sweat from Kenma’s face and also the sweat that had collected beneath his hairline on the back of his head.

She used a second, clean cloth to place on his forehead, and then said that they’d ask one of the older guild members to look at him first thing in the morning.

_Just one night._

Tetsurou reminded himself as he stood with the collection of kids watching over Kenma’s feverish form.

_We’re only staying for one night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far, so good. Any thoughts on what's been going on so far? Please let me know! So, please drop a comment down below, they help Kenma get well soon! (although this is a flashback so he did get well because he is currently well but you know what? We'll roll with it) and please leave kudos if you haven't been here before! Thanks for reading!


	24. Presentation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Gotcha. But he still could die.”
> 
> “Ok true but still,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the chapter where I shamelessly throw information in your face via dialogue with no context.   
> HOORAY!   
> Please enjoy~

**_Two Years Later._ **

 

 

“Say, Tetsu-chan, when’s your birthday?” Tooru asked, looking at him from the side as he stitched a flower pattern into a cloth he was holding. He was making patches that could be attached to clothing at a later time.

Kuroo rolled his eyes but conceded. “November 17th, you?”

“July 20th! And Iwa-chan is June 10th!” Oikawa declared proudly.

“I didn’t ask about Iwai…oh never mind.” Kuroo grumbled.

They continued their work for a while in silence before Tetsurou spoke again.

“You know…I really am pretty happy here. Although maybe you should have mentioned the second catch about coming here before you brought us?”

Tooru blew a raspberry. “Why are you bringing that up now?”

“Because I’ve never properly wailed you out for it.”

“Rude! I saved Ken-chan’s life!”

“And now he might die in an assassins guild. Assassin-ing.”

“I think you mean assassinating.”

“Do I though? That’s the act, not the profession.”

“Being an assassin, Tetsu-chan, being an assassin.”

“Gotcha. But he still could die.”

“Ok true but still,” Oikawa grumbled.

Kuroo shook his head, giving up and focusing back on his work.

Yes, so he turned out what Hajime had said was true. They did teach you a way to make a living at this guild.

Half Moon Tailors Guild was one part of it. Yes, they were legitimately tailors, who learned to weave cloth, make clothes, and repair them, all that good stuff.

There was also, however, another, more sinister operation behind the scenes.

That would be the Half Moon Assassins Guild.

Yes, it was both. They were tailors and assassins.

Tetsurou didn’t understand either, but they were the first kind people to him in years, so he couldn’t turn tail and run without hearing them out.

As it turned out, the Half Moon was a sort of vigilante justice guild. They didn’t kill innocents, no matter how much you paid them. Not to mention the astounding amount of orphans and runaways the guild took in.

They broke up crime rings.

Illegal monopolies, big money investors who were destroying the small towns of the south.

_It can’t be justified. I know it can’t…but then…_

He thought back to the people who’d hurt him as a child and thought that maybe, if those corporations hadn’t bought away their jobs, if industry hadn’t created a massive gap between the rich and poor, then they wouldn’t have been that way.

_Can’t justify them either. Can’t justify any of this. But it’s not a bad option, and as long as Morisuke and Kenma are safe, I don’t give a damn._

That was a lie. He cared. Of course, he did. He didn’t know if he’d ever have the guts to do requests with the same carefree attitude he saw about the grown-ups.

He tried to block the thoughts out as he continued to work. Between the training he did with the other kids for the assassin side of things, and the work he was expected to do on the tailors' end of the business, it was difficult indeed. But it was work, and in exchange, he had all the food he ever could want, fresh water, and a warm bed.

Not to mention friends. He’d made plenty of those.

Case in point, he and Tooru were sitting at one of the embroidery stations, making idle chatter as they stitched different patches into the cloth.

That is, until Kuroo started to feel a little strange.

It wasn’t bad the first few minutes, it was almost as though his entire body temperature was slowly rising. He frowned, putting his work down for a moment and making to stand.

“I’m going to get some water, you want…”

Before the words could make it out of his mouth he collapsed to the ground.

“Tetsu-chan!” Tooru instantly dropped the patch he was currently working on to the ground and rushed around the table.

“Are you ok?”

Kuroo put a hand over this mouth, his entire body was suddenly wracked with shivering, he was breaking out into a cold sweat.

Yet he was _hot_. So, so, unbearably _hot_.

“Hey, look at me. Look at me. What’s happening?” Tooru exclaimed, managing to get Kuroo’s bleary eyes to focus on him.

“I feel…so hot…am I sick?”

Tooru shook his head slowly. “No, I don’t think so, you…”

 _“Ah, gods!”_ Kuroo collapsed to the floor, curling into a ball, gripping at his shirt over his lower abdomen.

 _“It hurts!”_ He half shouted, his voice betraying him as his entire frame began shaking.

Oikawa’s eyes widened. “Heat.”

“W-What?” Kuroo bit out through gritted teeth.

“You’re in heat, oh gods, you’re in heat! You’re presenting! You’re an omega! Oh, I gotta, um, I…ok, stay here I’ll run and find someone!”

Oikawa then bolted off, away out of the empty workspace and into the hall.

_Omega…?_

Kuroo thought, even as his mind began growing rapidly fuzzier.

_Me?_

That didn’t make sense.

_That can’t be…I’m…I’m not an omega. I’m nothing like an omega…I’m too tall, my shoulders are broad, my face is too sharp…why me? Tooru’s wrong…I’m sick, that’s all. I ate something bad. Had to have._

He vaguely registered the clatter of footsteps reentering the room. He heard Tooru’s voice and recognized his friends face through a fog that seemed to be over his eyes.

“It’ll be ok! We’ll get you to one of the heat rooms!”

Kuroo opened his mouth to protest, he didn’t need to go to a heat room, because he wasn’t in heat, because he wasn’t an omega.

All that escaped was a half-formed whimper.

He bit down on his tongue, finding himself physically unable to uncurl from how he’d tightly wound himself into a ball around his stomach.

_It hurts…but…_

There was something wrong.

It wasn’t his stomach hurting. It was lower than that.

_No…but I’m not omega! I’m not…I’m…_

He supposed everyone relegated the fact he was crying to the pain he was experiencing as his innards reworked themselves.

_…I can’t be…I have to be strong…for Morisuke and Kitten…if I’m omega…how I can take care of them anymore?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! So there's the big reveal (sorta) that the guild isn't everything it seems. Finally! Anyway, please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo regain his self-confidence after presenting, and please leave kudos if you haven't been here before! Thanks for reading!


	25. Attempts at Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Mind if I sit?” 
> 
> “Yes.” 
> 
> “Think I’ll sit with you anyway. I’m trying to be supportive.”
> 
> “Why? You hate me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got away from me a bit. I let my love for writing Daishou get the better of me, and now I'm gonna develop their relationship a bit. Because I can. Whoops.   
> Anywho! Please enjoy~

Tetsurou didn’t remember much else about his first heat. He became a cramping, migraine suffering, nauseated, shivering ball for the next week in one of the guilds specified heat rooms. Tooru brought him food and water every day, as did Morisuke. Kenma was unpresented, so he’d tag along. They’d come when he was between the harsh waves that would hit. They’d leave as soon as another one began to quell up, though.

After all, it was rather humiliating how distinctly _omega_ one could get in such a short time.

It was agonizingly slow while it was happening, but once it was over, time seemed to pass as normal again.

A few days later, he was sitting out behind the guild building, watching a few of the younger orphans who lived there sparring with wooden knives.

The echoing sounds of their wooden weapons colliding were drowned out by the sight he had as he stared dully at the ground.

A blue skirt, of a blue dress, with a white top vest.

Borrowed from Tooru, the only other omega who was close enough to him in size for him to borrow clothes from until he could get ahold of some dresses of his own.

After all, he couldn’t wear his old clothes.

Those were for an unpresented, not for a proper omega.

_Though, I don’t feel proper at all…_

As he continued staring down at the blue fabric hiding his legs from view, he heard someone coming up behind him.

“Hey.”

Kuroo glanced back.

He gave a small nod to show he’d acknowledged the presence of the islander behind him, before redirecting his gaze to his boots again.

Or, well, the toes of his boots, considering his skirt hid the rest of them from view.

“Mind if I sit?” Suguru asked, giving a lopsided smile and gesturing to the spot next to Kuroo on the bench.

The Nohebi native was still unpresented, wearing a pair of black working pants, and a cream colored shirt with a leather cord to hold the V neck mostly closed.

“Yes.” Kuroo replied tersely.

He and Suguru had always had a strained relationship. Kuroo had always supposed there was no real reason behind it.

Suguru scoffed at Kuroo’s response and swung his leg over the bench.

“Think I’ll sit with you anyway. I’m trying to be supportive.”

Tetsurou clicked his tongue. “Why? You hate me.”

“No, I don’t.”

Kuroo paused, furrowing his brow. That _certainly_ didn't line up with the facts he was aware of.

“Oh.” He said after a moment.

Suguru snapped his head to the side. “Oh!? So you _really_ thought I hated you?”

Tetsurou lifted his head to look at him. “I mean, yeah. You insult me all the time, take cheap shots when we spar, pull my chair out before I sit, turn my sewing needles sharp side up in my case so I'll prick myself, and all sorts of other stuff.”

The brunette hummed. “Yeah. I dunno…”

His eyes darkened slightly. “I guess I was upset with you.”

Kuroo crossed his arms. “Why didn’t you say so? What did I ever do to you?”

“Nothing. That’s the point.” Daishou replied.

“What?” Kuroo demanded, before shaking his head.

“Forget that, why did you feel the need to talk with me about this now of all times? Kick me while I’m down?”

Daishou groaned. “Didn’t I just say I don’t hate you? I came out here to try and offer some sort of comfort or…something, I don’t know…I just…you’ve been off ever since last week, and I felt like I needed to say something.”

Kuroo would have said something along the lines of ‘well, no shit I’ve been off’ if it weren’t for how sincere Suguru sounded.

Tetsurou sighed, dropping his chin.

“Yeah, I have…thanks.”

They sat in silence for a second more, before Tetsurou spoke again.

“I appreciate the comfort thing and all, and I can see that you’re super awkward with this, and I am too, so…let’s just get back to it. You said you were upset with me. Why?”

Suguru sighed, threading his fingers together and resting his elbows on his knees. “It’s…petty.”

“So is everything else you do, that’s nothing new,” Tetsurou said, leaning on his own elbows as well, so he could look sideways at Daishou’s face.

“This is dumb. I’m here to comfort you, not the other way around.” Suguru grumbled.

Kuroo snickered. “Well, I’m better at comforting than being comforted.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Can’t help it.”

“Ugh!” The so-called snake straightened up, raking both hands into his hair.

“Dammit, fine. I was jealous of you.”

Kuroo’s face went blank.

“Jealous…? Of me? What for?”

Suguru let one hand slowly drag down the side of his face, skewing his bangs.

“I…well…when you first showed up, you got so good so fast, that you wound up taking my spot. Plus, you started growing before I did. You started sparring with the bigger, faster kids. I was left behind.”

Kuroo frowned. “That’s…”

“That’s not the whole reason. That’s not the reason at all.” Daishou admitted. His voice was growing progressively softer.

“Oh? Then what was the reason?”

“You took Teru away.”

It made sense.

When Kuroo thought about it, it made _perfect_ sense.

_Teru’s the best fighter among us right now, mostly because even though he’s a year younger he’s hit an early growth spurt. He also presented really early as alpha a few months after I got here. I started sparring with him more and more. I never realized that the person whose place I was taking was Daishou._

“So that’s it, huh? I took your spot with Teru and wound up spending more time with him. You were jealous of me for that?”

Daishou nodded.

Tetsurou scoffed. “You were right, that is ridiculous.”

Suguru slammed his hand down onto the bench between them. “Hey! I didn’t have to tell you this!”

Kuroo merely put a hand on Suguru’s shoulder. “Don’t worry…I get it. Teru’s really important to you, and you were scared I’d take him away. That’s fine.”

Suguru looked away with irritation in his eyes. “I guess…I’m not so mad about it now…though…while we’re at it, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are you happy? Being omega?”

Kuroo hesitated. “Happy? I…no. I’m…I don’t know how to explain it. The omega thing, in and of itself, I don’t really care. Never cared. After all, Morisuke is an omega and he could kick our asses seven ways till Sunday. I just…I feel like, as an omega, I can’t protect the people I care about. No one will take me seriously anymore.”

Suguru looked to him with that same lopsided smile from earlier.

“That’s the advantage, isn’t it?”

Kuroo furrowed his brow. “Advantage?”

Suguru shrugged. “I mean, being an omega can’t stop you from getting stronger. You’re still the same person you were before. Though…if you think about it one way, you being omega just means people will underestimate you. Then you can wipe the floor with them even harder!”  
Tetsurou rolled his eyes. “That’s so dumb.”  
“It’s true, though!” Suguru insisted.

Kuroo hesitated, looking back out at the group still waving their wooden knives around. Still so far from the presentation that would change their lives.

Well, he’d just had his.

_And maybe…it’s not so bad._

Daishou saw the change in Tetsurou’s face and smiled, earnestly this time.

“Hey…can I tell you one more thing?”

“Go for it.”

“I want to be an omega.”

Tetsurou hummed, absorbing the statement better than Suguru had been expecting.

“That doesn’t really sound like you… is it because Teru’s an alpha?”

Daishou bit his bottom lip.

“Well…yes. That’s what made me think about it, at first. You know, at this point I should be presenting any day now and…well, at first I was all excited everyone thought I’d be alpha. I personally thought I’d be a beta, but since I never knew my parents, I have no idea what secondaries run in my family. Though…after Teru presented, it occurred to me randomly.”

Daishou gestured with one hand to the air. “Hey? Why haven’t I considered if I’m gonna be an omega?”

He shook his head, brown bangs swaying. “It’s a stupid reason to start thinking of something like that, but, the more I thought out it, the more I realized I feel like I’d be an omega more than anything else.”

“Huh.” Tetsurou then put a hand on Daishou’s back.

“You should really think about it. That’s a big statement to be making, you know? After all…”

Suguru threw his hands up, cutting him off with a tirade that had clearly been mentally rehearsed.

“Yeah, I know, I know! It’s the weakest secondary, you always get looked down on, your rights in the rest of the world are brought down to whoever’s arm you’re on, I know! But I just…it feels like besides that, seeing the omegas around here, like Tooru, like Morisuke, like…”

Daishou gave a humored huff. “Like you.”

Kuroo smirked but didn’t say anything.  
“

Omega…that feels like what I should be. You know? And besides, it’s not like I get to chose what I am…it’s just wishful thinking, I guess.”

Tetsurou started him for a long moment before cracking a smile. “Yeah, that too, but…what I was _going_ to say was that undershirts are super tight and uncomfortable. And dresses are annoying because you always trip on your skirt. So think about it, because you’ll have to deal with them too, and they both suck.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, before they both burst out laughing.

It was the first time since last week Kuroo had laughed. Yet here he was, and now, things could finally get moving again.

As they were carrying on, Daishou now poking fun at Tetsurou’s newfound omegian clothing, and Kuroo whining about how it was Tooru’s hand-me-downs, neither noticed a murder of crows pecking their way through the yard just beyond where the younger children were play-fighting.

However, perhaps these crows had noticed them, or at the very least overheard their conversation. As these sleek black birds continued idly hopping about in the grass, one of them, at the very least, must have caught wind of what they were saying.

Perhaps they discussed it with the others over a worm or two, or a nice juicy cockroach?

Daishou was confessing his secret, after all.

These crows, which were **_nine for a wish_** , took his words to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daishou yay! I got to write my snake baby! Fun times! :D Well, that's all for now. Please drop a comment down below, they help the crows grant Daishou's wish, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	26. Bad Timing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I…can’t…it…agh, it hurts. Why does it hurt so bad?”
> 
> “It’s because your insides are rearranging themselves so a baby can fit in there.”
> 
> “…oh…that’s…ow…” 
> 
> "Exactly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more Daishou time, I hope you enjoy! :)

**_The Next Year._ **

 

 

“Wooow…that’s a ways.” Daishou hummed, shading his eyes as he gazed down off the rooftop they were standing on.

“No shit, this is the city. This building is like five stories.” Morisuke grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Now, now.” Keiji put his hands up to calm the two of them.

Kuroo moved to the edge of the building. “Alright…Tooru should be making a move any minute. Hajime will signal us, and Kou will give the second signal. Then we determine between those two signals what route the target is taking, and get down to business, right?”

Daishou walked to the opposite edge of the building, shading his eyes again against the harsh street lamps. “I know it’s still night, but it’s the homeward rush right now. People are crowding the streets. Is this really the right time?”

Before any response could be given to this, Kenma, who’d been posted at the far corner of the building, put his hand up.

“Hajime is signaling. Target is heading going down East Broad.” Kenma announced.

Daishou's eyes widened. “I see Koutarou. Target took the left. He knows he’s being followed by Teru, Kiyoko, and Hitoka. We need to move fast.” The Nohebi native rushed back across the roof and put his hand up. He made a C shape with his hand, and then put up two fingers twice in succession.

An arrow came flying from the shadows of the alleyway at the opposite side of the deserted back street and embedded itself into the wooden outer beam of the building. It was trailing a thin cable which Daishou securely tied to the ventilation shaft of the roof.

“If it was active pursuit we’re supposed to only send Suguru and Kuroo, right?” Kenma asked, looking back over his shoulder, long black hair shading part of his face.

“Yup. See you at the rendezvous!” Kuroo was already running towards the edge of the building.

He passed the leather strap of his dagger sheath, which had previously been affixing his dagger to his thigh under his skirt, and jumped.

He glided down across to the alley where the arrow had emerged, and when he landed, he was able to see Tooru in the darkness, kneeling beside a trash can a few feet away.

He was wearing a beat up teal dress with a heavy canvas jacket. The jacket had likely belonged to Iwaizumi at one point or another, but Kuroo didn’t bother to bring that up.

“Feeling at home in your natural habitat?” He asked as he dropped to a knee next to his fellow omega.

Tooru glanced back to the trash can next to him before fixing Kuroo with a tired expression. “I should have seen that coming. _Rude_ , stop being mean to me and focus on the mission.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kuroo hummed as Daishou arrived. No sooner had his feet touched the ground was the rope and accompanying arrow dropped by Keiji.

Daishou collected it, and in this way, they ensured they wouldn’t leave much of a trail.

As he was doing so, however, he staggered slightly.

He then simply stood there in the middle of the alley, half of the rope still trailing from his hands with a dazed expression on his face.

“Move it! We’ve got to keep on schedule!” Kuroo hissed at him.

“Right…sorry…” Daishou turned towards them, carrying the sloppily wrapped up rope attached to the arrow, still dragging partially behind him.

Tooru took it, but before he was about to take off towards the spot where they were supposed to intercept the target, he paused.

“Sugu-chan, you look really flushed. You ok?”

Suguru nodded, his face indeed having a heavy scarlet tint to it. “Fine, just didn’t sleep well.”

“Liar, you slept like the dead on the way here,” Kuroo muttered, shoving Tooru out of the way. He stripped one of his gloves off and pressed the back of his hand to Suguru’s head.

“You’re burning up,” Kuroo mumbled.

Suguru frowned.

“Am I?” He threaded his fingers into his hair.

“On second thought…I don’t feel so good…”

Without any further warning, his legs gave out from under him.

“Suguru!” Kuroo dropped next to him, hooking an arm under each of his armpits to keep him from going all the way down.

“I…can’t…agh…”

Suguru fisted his hands into the back of Tetsurou’s dress.

Tooru looked down at him for a moment before stomping his foot.

“Dammit…” He hissed before he whipped another arrow from his quiver and fired it up at the same spot on the rooftop as before. As soon as he did this, he whirled back to face the two of them.

“We need to go.” Tooru insisted.

“We can’t keep going with him like this,” Kuroo said pointedly.

“No, we’re leaving. I fired the arrow reserved for an emergency. It’s not specific, but it basically means we can’t complete our side of the task. We have back up plans for this, it’ll be a bit messier, but Iwa-chan and Kou-chan can handle it. They’ve got Teru-chan, Kiyo-chan, and Ya-chan following up behind them, anyway. Right now we need to get Suguru back to the wagon before he gets too deep into his heat and starts attracting alphas. Who knows how many rogues live out in this area.”

“Heat…? Is this…heat? So I’m…” The halfway conscious boy still curled against Tetsurou’s chest asked, his voice but a murmur.

Kuroo groaned. “Omega. So you got your wish, huh? A whole damn year, and you picked the worse time to make it come true, didn’t you? Alright, let’s go.”

Between the two of them, they managed to get the presenting Daishou to his feet, albeit unsteadily.

“I…can’t…it…agh, _it hurts. Why does it hurt so bad?”_ Daishou all but whimpered, gripping onto Kuroo’s arm tightly.

Tetsurou took the slow crushing of his arm like a true friend, not complaining, and continued slowly on their way.

“It’s because your insides are rearranging themselves so a baby can fit in there.”

“…oh…that’s… _ow_ …”

“Exactly,” Tooru commented as he supported him from the other side.

“It’ll be ok. Just hang tough, we’ll get you back to the wagon, and as soon as the others get there we’ll leave. The alphas can ride on the driver's bench and we’ll close the canvas.” The Aoba Johsai native assured.

Suguru suddenly uncontrollably doubled over, and spent the next few seconds dry heaving, his entire body having broken out into a cold sweat. He felt nauseous, and his stomach was cramping horribly.

Well, it wasn’t really his _stomach_ , but that was the only word Suguru knew to identify it as.

Having to stop like this several more times along the way, they finally made it to the wagon, and after a good bit of struggling, managed to get Daishou settled on a pile of clothes and blankets brought for the journey.

Both of them decided now wasn’t the time to comment on how, out of all the pillows present, the one he’d begun fiercely clinging to in order to ride out the first wave of vicious stabbing abdomen pain was Yuuji’s.

They both elected it would be better to leave their newly presented fellow omega alone, closing the canvas and sitting on the edge of the wagon’s cart.

“Hey, hey, hey! What happened?” Bokuto came roaring around the corner.

Kuroo put a hand to his head.

“Gods, bro, wipe the blood off your hands, and your face, too! It was only one guy!”

Hajime crossed his arms as the other members of the group began arriving, and as Bokuto started to wipe the red staining his hands and the slight splatter on his cheek off onto a dishcloth he’d produced from his coat pocket.

“It was more than one guy, it had to be his entire group of lackeys as well since we couldn’t count on the distraction from you three. This had better be a damn good reason.”

Kuroo narrowed his eyes. “Suguru’s presenting.”

“That’s good. Reason accepted.” Hajime conceded, nodding concisely.

It was now that Terushima came rushing up, following by Kiyoko and Hitoka.

“Is everyone alright?” Kiyoko asked, making her way up to Tooru.

“Yeah, are you all ok? Where’s Suguru-san?” Hitoka asked.

However, both of them were drowned out by the voice of the extremely loud Terushima Yuuji who was with them.

“What happened!? Where’s Suguru!? I mean, are you all ok!?” The brazen Johzenji native demanded, eyes flicking around the place.

“We’re fine, Suguru’s fine, he’s just…preoccupied.” Kuroo jacked a thumb over his shoulder at the canvas curtain closing off the wagon.

“He’s presenting, we had to get him off the streets as fast as possible. He was tough to manage, he had a hard time keeping it together, but we got him here and tossed him in there to cool off.”

They all collectively winced when a muffled shriek came from inside the wagon, that being Suguru working through the pain of his presentation.

Teru wilted slightly, this sound confirming his first suspicion. “Oh…so, did he get violent? Is that why he was tough to manage?”

Tooru glanced to Kuroo with a coy expression on his face.

“Not necessarily…what makes you say that?”

Now all eyes were on Yuuji.

Yuuji, who simply looked awkwardly to the side and shrugged.

“He’s gotta be presenting alpha, right? I mean…if he had to cool off, and…”

Tooru smiled. “Why, would you be _disappointed_ if he presented alpha?”

Teru’s face flushed. “W-What? No, no, that’s…that’s…no! I just, the way you phrased it…and I…”

Everyone was now watching him with expressions making it very clear they didn’t believe a word of his excuses.

Kuroo shook his head softly, deciding to spare Teru any further humiliation.

“Thing is, he probably won’t be cooling off for the next week. That’s why they’re called _heats_ , you know.”

“No, it’s not.” Morisuke butted in.

“Shut up, Morisuke.” Kuroo snapped.

Teru’s eyes widened. “He’s…in heat? So he’s an omega?”

Tooru grinned. “I’m sure that’s good news for you!”

“Yeah! You can finally get that crush of your reciprocated! Congrats, man!” Bokuto crowed.

“Koutarou-san I don’t have a crush! Stop it!” Teru tried to escape from the way Keiji was patting him on the back as if accepting his feelings for Suguru as legitimate.

Why _Keiji_ was doing this would always be a mystery.

On the ride home, it was quite an awkward arrangement. Most of the group squeezed in on the front driver's bench, with Bokuto, Terushima, Kiyoko, Hitoka Hajime, and Tooru sitting up there. Keiji, Kenma, Morisuke, and Tetsurou were all either sitting in the wagon or sitting on the back lip of the wagon. This was alternating between when Daishou was going through a particularly harsh wave and, as all of them knew, it was even more humiliating when having to feel so vulnerable in front of others, especially your friends.

The trip back was two days, and during one of the nights, Kuroo got up late to go check in on Suguru.

When he climbed into the wagon he saw Suguru sitting up in his makeshift nest, clinging tightly to a pillow, pressing it against his lower abdomen in hopes it would somehow alleviate his pain.

_Still Teru’s pillow…_

Kuroo noted as he made his way in.

“Here, drink.” He offered the canteen of water.

“Th-Thanks.” Suguru’s throat was raw sounding, and his hand was shaking slightly when he took the canteen.

“Is…is it always this bad?” He asked.

Kuroo shrugged. “More or less, yup. Though it doesn’t last as long after the first one, and the cramps aren't as bad. Still bad, but not _as_ bad.”

Suguru groaned before downing several gulps from the canteen.

He wound up spitting back up half of his last mouthful, caught in another fit of dry heaving.

This lasted for a few seconds before he managed to get his body under control again.

Kuroo smiled. “Hey…you asked for this.”

Suguru looked up to him before managing a rather forced-looking smile.

Forced since he was still in a good deal of pain, but real all the same.

“Yeah…and even if these heats are gonna be a bitch to deal with, I don’t regret it. After this is all over I’m sure I’ll be glad.”

Tetsurou grinned. “But you’re not glad yet, huh?”

Suguru moaned, flopping limply onto his side, pressing the pillow even harder into the midsection.

“Not quite. Ah, gods, here it comes again…”

Tetsurou got up. “I’ll leave you be, then.”

“H-Hey…one thing.” Suguru gritted the words out.

“Yeah?” Kuroo asked.

“Teru…is he…what did he say?”

Tetsurou considered it before putting his palms to the sky.

“He seemed pretty disappointed when he assumed you were presenting alpha, and pretty damn happy when he found out you were omega. Though, for any more details, you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

“Ha! You’re making that up!” Suguru exclaimed.

“Not at all. But for right now, you’d better focus on you. Unless you want me to send Teru in to give you a hand?”

“Shut… _agh_ …up, cat… _haaa_ …bastard…”

“Try that insult again when you’re not forming a baby maker. Don’t worry, I’m sure Teru will be excited to use it one of these days.”

 _“OH MY GODS GET OUT!”_ Suguru howled.

“Night!” Tetsurou called cheerfully over his shoulder before he exited the wagon and closed the canvas curtain behind him.

He winced for his friend, knowing the pain he was going through as he heard several muffled whimpering sounds escaping the wagon now that Daishou was alone.

_Well…he still seemed happy to be an omega. So he’ll have to suck it up, it’s just part of the deal._

Tetsurou made his way stealthily back into his sleeping bag and snuggled down inside it again.

_At least he’s got someone who wants him…I wonder if I’ll meet someone like that._

He looked up at the endless starry sky above him. The same one he’d gazed at as a small child with nowhere to go.

Now here he was, presented, _(questionably)_ employed, and surrounded by a family he’d built for himself.

He heard a muffled shrieking sound from inside the wagon, likely Suguru trying to work through the pain he was in, and screwed up his face.

_He’s still got another three days, if not more…ah, well, hopefully the waves will ease up and be less intense by the end of it._

So he went to sleep, and as he slept, he had a rather embarrassing, yet wonderful dream of meeting an upper who loved him for him, and thought he was beautiful with all that was wrong with him.

In those dreams, he’d tend to fancy an alpha with blonde hair, and soft eyes that would watch him filled with fondness.

Every once in a while, that alpha would have glasses on.

If you ever asked him, though, he’d vehemently deny it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now. Sorry if I got a little bit side-tracked on this chapter, but I was really having fun writing the old gang and wanted to do this bit with Daishou, so there ya go! Next chapter we'll REALLY be getting into the meat of things. Welp, please drop a comment down below, they help Daishou survive his first heat, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	27. The Reason Why

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Run away?”
> 
> “Yes. We have too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Here it is. The big secret is finally revealed, what Kuroo did that caused all three of them to have such shadowy looks on their faces, to avoid talking about the reason they came to Karasuno at all costs. This chapter right here.   
> I'm scared guys ;-; I hope this is a substantial reveal for everyone. Please enjoy!

**_Four Years Later._ **

 

Kuroo was eighteen now.

Kuroo was also thoroughly exhausted.

He and his usual group were all lying in varying degrees of misery in the backyard of the guild hall.

“Well…we made it.” He groaned.

“We’re dead. We’re alive, but we’re dead.” Morisuke said flatly.

“Hey, we pulled it off pretty well! They didn’t even see us coming!” Lev was the only one with even an ounce of energy left, and he was splayed flat on his back on the grass with the rest of them. They’d all just arrived back from a fairly close by job, but after all the hard work they were all spent.

They were simply lying out in the grass in a large circle.

All of them except one. Kenma had gone into heat the afternoon they were due to leave, and they’d had to leave him behind. They’d been gone for almost five days, so it was likely he was out of heat by now.

Going along this line, Kuroo figured it ought to go check on one of his oldest friends.

“I’m gonna go see how Kitten’s doing. You guys…just lay here, I guess.”

“Affirmative, captain…” Suguru had already rolled over onto his side, seemingly with full intention of fall asleep right there.

At the last second, Morisuke sat up as well.

He stifled a yawn. “I’ll come with.”

“But I wanna cuddle youuuu…” Lev whined before latching around his court mates midsection.

“Lev, get off, I’ll be right back.” Morisuke insisted, shoving at the alpha's shoulder.

“Noooooo.”

“Lev! I’ll be five minutes, I’ll come right back, now let me go.”

“Then we can cuddle?”

Morisuke seemed exasperated, but everyone there knew better. Lev’s clinginess was likely one of the most endearing qualities of him. Especially to Morisuke himself.

“Yes, then we can cuddle.” Morisuke agreed.

“Yay!”Lev let him go.

_Not knowing how much he’d regret it._

Kuroo waved to Morisuke.

“Alright, let’s go track him down. He’s probably curled up in some corner reading or knitting or something.”

“Yeah, yeah…hey, what are you guys gonna do?” Morisuke looked back to the rest of their squad.

“Sleep.” Kiyoko said simply before rolling over twice in order to bring herself directly next to Hitoka.

“Kiyo!” The blonde laughed as her alpha wrapped her arms around her.

“Same.” Suguru grumbled, completely ignoring how Teru had flopped halfway on top of him.

Bokuto had all but dragged Akaashi into his arms. “C’mon, Keiji, I wanna snuggle too!”

“We are in the middle of the yard!” The younger exclaimed, squirming.

“Everyone else is doing it, no one cares…please?”

“No.”

“Akaaaaaashi!”

“…fine”

As the two of them settled down, Tooru sat up cross-legged, glancing back and forth before his eyes landed on Hajime. “Iwa-chan how about we…”

“No way in hell.”

Tooru scowled. “Why not!?”

“Because I’m too tired to move.”

“So what if I come to you?”

“Then maybe I’ll consider…OY!”

That was all he got about before Tooru had launched himself across the distance between them and landed squarely on his stomach, settled his head against the crook of the alpha's neck.

Morisuke rolled his eyes. “Gods, you’re all so in love it’s disgusting.”

He looked down at Lev’s pouty puppy dog eyes and threw his arms up. “Ok, ok, me too! So am I! I get it! Let’s go, Tetsu.”

Kuroo snickered, and followed behind, not even looking back over his shoulder at all his dear friends dozing off one by one in the soft grass.

He didn’t need too, after all.

He’d be seeing them again in just a few minutes time.

After all, it would be just as he said.

He’d be right back.

 

 

**_Inside._ **

 

“Weird, he’s not in any of his usual spots…think he’s still in heat?” Kuroo asked as his eyes perused the working room filled with sewing machines.

Morisuke shrugged. “Maybe? Let’s go check the heat rooms, then.”

So they took a flight of stairs up four stories to the top floor of the building, where the attic had been converted into a safe area split up into heat rooms.

“Kenma?” Morisuke called, looking around.

“They’re all empty,” Kuroo reported.

“Maybe we should go look for one of the seniors? They might know where he is. Maybe he went into town or something.” Morisuke suggested.

“Kitten? Go into town? Directly after his heat? By himself?” Kuroo asked each question with growing skepticism.

Morisuke scrunched up his face. “Good point.”

So they started back down the stairs again, but as they were passing the door to the third floor Kuroo caught a familiar scent in the air.

“Hey…that’s Kitten, isn’t it?” He asked.

“What?” Morisuke looked back from a few steps down, and then scented the air himself.

“Hey, you’re right. What is he doing on the third floor? That’s the senior's offices.”

Kuroo shrugged. “Maybe he got called in for some reason? I doubt Master wanted him, maybe one of the omegian seniors invited him for tea or something?”

Morisuke frowned, scenting the air again. “No, that’s not it. It’s…sort of bitter.”

Kuroo turned towards the door. “It…”

His eyes flew wide open, and he slammed the door open, charging into the hallway of the third floor.

“Tetsurou!” Morisuke gave chase.

The doors and windows whirled past, and the scent of their friend got stronger.

It became increasingly obvious as they got closer. That bitterness, it wasn’t some post-heat oddity.

It was fear.

There was also a distinct coppery scent hanging along with it.

Tetsurou found himself at the back half of the hallway, where the guild seniors kept several private areas exclusive to the guilds elite.

Not even thinking about the consequences of intruding here, Kuroo rattled the doorknob.

“Locked.” He hissed.

That was when a muffled scream escaped from inside the office.

 _“Kenma!”_ Morisuke shouted.

Kuroo backed up two steps and charged at the door, slamming his shoulder into it.

It hurt, badly, but at this point, adrenaline had kicked in, and he didn’t even have the mind to think about the pain.

He backed up and rammed into the door again.

The wood gave, the door lock not strong enough to keep him out.

The room was filled with the heady scent of an alpha, and Kuroo didn’t see much more than a haze in how quickly he took in the situation and acted.

Kojiro Yamada was one of the guilds seniors.

He was an old-fashioned man, his entire squad consisting of alphas or the occasional male beta. The room here had a large couch inside, and things were moving rapidly from there.

Kenma was being pinned to the back of the couch by Yamada, who had a bloody knife gripped in one hand. It was obvious Kenma was only just out of heat, he was dressed in a thin nightgown, and his sandals were lying abandoned a few feet away from the two.

To an observer, the situation could be puzzled out.

Kenma had finished his heat that morning. After resting in the heat room for a considerable amount of time, he’d left the attic to make his way downstairs to the dormitories in order to rinse the scent of heat off himself, change, and generally allow life to return to normal.

He’d run into Yamada instead.

“Get _off_ him!” Kuroo roared, rushing into the room.

He tackled Yamada, who, in his surprise at being caught, was forced away from his prey rather easily.

Morisuke followed behind, seizing Kenma by the arm and dragging him away towards the door.

“Tetsurou! I’ll…Kenma!” Morisuke pushed Kenma out the door and turned help Kuroo.

However, Kenma couldn’t even stand and collapsed to the floor. Blood was seeping through the shoulder of his nightgown, as well as a multitude of gashes running down his left arm.

That explained the bloody knife Kojiro was holding.

_“Kenma!”_

Morisuke stripped off his jacket and bundled it up, putting pressure on the worst of the knife wounds. The one he viewed as the most dangerous wasn’t terribly deep, but it was right up against the side of his throat, and since he had no clue how long Kenma had been bleeding freely like this for, he wasn’t taking chances.

“Ku…roo…” Kenma mumbled, his eyelids fluttering weakly.

Morisuke leaned over him. “Kenma, just hang in there, try to stay awake!”

For Tetsurou, things weren’t going well.

Yamada was still wielding the knife he’d attacked Kenma with, and after several narrow dodges, Kuroo managed to kick Yamada in the stomach, his hand flying to his thigh to retrieve the dagger still hidden beneath his skirt.

As he fell, Kojiro lashed out with his weapon again, raking it up the side of Tetsurou’s leg, the one he’d been reaching for.

He barely managed to pull his hand away, or he might have lost a finger.

The raven-haired omega bit down the pain as his dagger and accompanying thigh strap fell from the side of his leg, hitting the ground. Blood started to run down his leg from the gash left behind, but the real issue was that he was now unarmed.

Tetsurou made to seize his dagger, but the alpha he was facing was faster, his booted foot shooting out, crushing down on Tetsurou’s hand inches from the strap.

Kuroo cried out as Morisuke lifted his head, knowing he couldn’t leave Kenma’s side while he was this badly hurt.

“TETSU!” Morisuke produced his own knife from beneath his skirt and threw it with all the accuracy that should be attributed to a young assassin like he.

It stabbed into Yamada’s shoulder. The man howled in agony, clutching at his arm as blood began to soak into the sleeve of his shirt.

His alphian rage, while empowering him, had also dulled his usual situational judgment. If he’d been in the right mind, Tetsurou would already be dead. With his hand pinned under the man's boot, all that it would take was to pounce on him and drive the bloodied knife down.

Yet he didn’t, because, luckily for the trio now facing him, he _wasn’t_ in the right mind.

Instead of calmly taking scope of his injuries as he typically would, he reacted instinctually, and in his pain induced thrashing, he stepped off Tetsurou’s hand, only to kick the dagger away with his stomping. It went spiraling out of reach, skidding under the couch that still spattered with Kenma’s blood.

Kuroo gave up on his knife and shot up, seizing the wrist of the hand that Yamada was clutching his own dagger with. He wrenched it hard to one side, and the man dropped the weapon.

Yamada then kneed the omega in the stomach to give himself some room to breathe.

As he stumbled back, he pulled the knife that had been in his shoulder out, dropping it to the ground, not even bothering to keep it as a replacement for his dropped dagger.

His eyes were hazed with rage and bloodlust.

After that, the majority of the fight was horribly one-sided. Yamada was a senior member, and an elite of the guild, for good reason. He had also had his rut triggered by what he’d been about to do, so an alphas rage induced strength was also on his side. Even if he wasn’t fighting smart, as he might have with his senses, it was still nearly impossible for Kuroo to gain the upper hand.

Tetsurou found himself getting thrown across the room. He collided with a wine cabinet at the back, underneath a large veranda window.

The bottles toppled, shattering and spilling their content all across the floor.

Kojiro approached fast, a guttural snarl coming from his throat.

The omega in Tetsurou was telling him to either submit to the alphas will or get the hell out of there.

But Tetsurou was _more_ than just an omega.

His hand gripped back at the wine cabinet, and he found his fingers closing around the neck of one of the few surviving bottles.

It was at the moment Yamada pounced forward, his eyes drunk with lust.

Tetsurou brought his arm forward and swung, smashing the bottle off the side of Yamada’s head with all the strength he possessed. The alpha gave a choked scream, red wine mixed with blood flew through the air, but alas, the strike wasn’t enough to knock him out.

The man’s arms shot out, closing around Kuroo’s neck.

He struggled against the iron grip cutting off his windpipe, spots swimming before his face as he struggled for a breath that wouldn’t come. He made several short gasping sounds as he tried to pry the fingers away with his free hand. His other hand gripped the now broken half of the wine bottle, and without thinking, he drove it down into Yamada’s back.

This caused the man to howl in agony and release Kuroo’s throat, arching backwards.

The omega was still pinned, but he did the best he could. He slammed the bottle deeper into the alphas back several times before releasing it there and then seizing him by the front of the shirt.

He slammed his forehead into Yamada’s own, and while this sent an electric shock of pain through his already rattled mind, he managed to daze the alpha. He then rolled onto his back, planted the sole of his boot into Yamada’s stomach, and launched him up and over.

His intention had been to slam him off the wall, hopefully knocking him out.

Kuroo had forgotten he lay directly underneath a third story window.

The sound of shattering glass lasting for an eternity as Tetsurou released Yamada and sent him smashing out the window and plummeting down three stories.

The silence that reigned for a few seconds following was deafening.

The raven-haired man stared up at the broken window, shell-shocked.

Morisuke was still struggling to stop Kenma’s bleeding, Kenma who had, at this point, passed out, and he realized what was happening faster than Kuroo could comprehend.

“Master will kill us.” He choked out.

Kuroo sat up, the back of his dress soaked through with the wine that had pooled all around him.

“Did I…is he…” He turned back towards the window.

“Don’t look. Don’t. We need to go.” Morisuke choked out, his hands shaking as he lifted his blood-soaked jacket from Kenma’s shoulder.

“Go where?” Tetsurou asked, still not really in the moment.

“Anywhere. Away. Master will kill us. That’s the rule. No infighting. Killing a guildmate means death.”

Morisuke said all of this in monotone.

Kuroo shook his head slowly. “Run away?”

“Yes. We have too.”

Kuroo staggered to his feet, his entire frame shaking.

He’d been in a fight before.

He’d killed before.

That wasn’t what was causing this reaction.

He’d just _killed_ one of his senior guildmates.

The man might have attacked Kenma, but that wouldn’t matter in the Master’s eyes.

Would it?

Maybe for someone else.

However, it was well known the Master had a strong distaste for their trio. Specifically, because Morisuke was one of them. The Master despised Morisuke with a passion for courting Lev against his wishes. Though Lev was the one to make the decision to propose and the one who insisted time and again that Morisuke was enough, the Master would likely be all to happy to take advantage of one of the guilds founding rules to get rid of him.

“You’re right. What about the others?” Kuroo asked, functioning on survival instinct at this point.

He couldn’t properly take in what he’d just done right now. He had to focus on the present. He could ponder all the what-ifs and loathe himself at a later date.

Assuredly, he would.

Morisuke had finished tearing his jacket into pieces, tying them around the worse of Kenma’s injuries. “They can’t know.”

Kuroo felt his heart skip a beat. “What? They’ll help us.”

“If they do, they’ll be held responsible too! We can’t bring them down with us!” Morisuke exclaimed, bowing his head with tears welling up in his eyes.

The amber pendant was hanging down against his chest, and Kuroo knew the real reason why he wouldn’t go to them.

Tetsurou fisted his hands. “They…”

He gritted his teeth, eyes burning with held back tears. “…you’re right. So I’ll take Kenma and go. We couldn’t make a decent excuse for Kenma’s injuries, but you’re still clean. Go back downstairs. Go to the dorms and wash the blood off your hands. Change your clothes. Stay there a while, then go back to the others. Say you went to the dorms to shower and change after we couldn’t find Kenma, and I came up here alone.”

Morisuke stared at him in horror. “What? No. I’m going with you.”

“What for? It’s like you said, I don’t need to drag the others down, and I don’t need to drag you down either.” Kuroo pushed Morisuke roughly towards the door and knelt over Kenma, who’d long since fallen unconscious.

It would be hours yet before he’d awaken, to find out what the bad timing of his heat would cost his dearest friends.

He’d blame himself, too.

Then, they all would.

Morisuke fisted his hands, standing in the doorway.

“I’m going with you. We’ve been together our entire lives, I’m not letting you two go alone after something like this. I was here too, for all we know after you two leave they’ll find a way to track it back to me. Knowing Master, he’d try his damnedest to get rid of me if he could find a way!”

Kuroo gently picked up Kenma, cradling him carefully against his chest, ensuring not to put any extra pressure on the damage to his arm and shoulder.

“Morisuke, go. I mean it.” Kuroo turned back to the shorter omega.

“I will go. Go with _you_.” Morisuke stood firm.

Tetsurou squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the desperate confusion that was writ across his dear friends face.

“Dammit, just…you’re the only one out of the three of us who has a legitimate reason to do _absolutely_ _anything_ to stay here! So just listen to me for once in your life, get out of here and wash off before anyone sees you!” Kuroo shouted.

“Why am _I_ more legitimate than you two!? You love it here as much as I do, that’s pointless…”

 _“_ _You’re in love, dammit!”_ Tetsurou shouted, his voice cracking off the words.

Yaku stared at him for a long moment, and Tetsurou kept going.

“You love him, I know it! He’s your sun, stars, and moon! He’s your _everything!_ No matter how hard you try to make it look different. No matter how often you yell and get angry, I know you! You love Lev more than life itself, and you need to get out of here now, so you can stay with him! Because…we’re not worth giving up your alpha for!”

He could see the gears in Yaku's head turning, his eyes flitting between Kenma's unconscious frame and Kuroo's fiery gaze.

Finally, his fisted hands relaxed. “…you’re…”

Morisuke exhaled slowly, bowing his head. “…right. I do…love him. Tetsurou…get Kenma out of here, ok?”

Kuroo’s face went slack as Morisuke look up at him, tears spilling down his face.

“Get going!” He exclaimed.

Then, all that Kuroo heard was footsteps rushing off down the hallway as Morisuke vanished from the doorframe, running away.

Tetsurou then looked down to the bloodied body cradled in his arms. “Well, Kitten…it’s just us. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

He looked back at the broken window.

_That window leads out to the side of the building. No one ever goes out there, and since no one came to investigate that means no one heard the fight. No one knows what's happened yet. That gives me a few hours before he’s found, at least._

He made it way out into the hallway, looking out the still intact window to the side.

Looked down at his friends.

They were all still curled up in pairs of two, save for one. Lev was laying on his back, hands tucked under his head, one leg drawn up, his ankle crossed over his knee, gazing up at the clouds.

Tetsurou looked at him for a few seconds, feeling numb to the reality of the situation even still.

Despite that, watching that young alpha down in the grass, waiting for his court mate to come back and lay with him, Kuroo felt at least a fraction better.

Lev would have Yaku returning to him in a couple of hours, with an alibi that would protect his right to stay as a member of the guild.

He’d managed to ensure that at least.

Morisuke would get to stay here, in this place they’d been so lucky as to stumble upon and stay with the alpha he loved.

With that last thought, and a silent goodbye, Kuroo made for the back stairwell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go! Kenma's scars, Morisuke's courtship, and Kuroo's sin have all be explained! It's finally out in the open!   
> Hooray? Maybe? Well anyway, please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo run as fast as he can, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	28. Make it Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No need to thank me, we’re just getting into this mess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last chapter shit went down, Kuroo and Kenma had to run away, Kenma still hurt pretty back and Kuroo soaked with wine so...that's an issue. Let's find out how they resolve it! Please enjoy~

**_Three Hours Later._ **

 

 

Tetsurou was sitting in a small clearing in the woods, having alternated running and walking, he’d made it a decent distance from the guild, and now his exhausted body was demanding he rest. He wearing a wine-stained dress, holding his injured, bloodied friend who was dressed in nothing but a nightgown and leaning back against a tree.

Things had gone wrong, and they had gone wrong _quickly._

“What are we going to do?” Kuroo asked quietly.

Kenma was still unconscious.

Thankfully, judging by Tetsurou’s experience with injury, and he had a _lot_ , Kenma should recover. His bleeding had stopped thanks to the makeshift bandages fashioned from Morisuke’s jacket, and all he had to do now was pray nothing would get infected.

“I should make a sling for your arm, Kitten. Once you wake up you won’t be able to move it much for a while. That is, I would make you one, but I don’t have anything to make it out of.” He mumbled.

They had nothing but the clothes on their backs. The wine stained, blood-spattered clothes, and the tattered remains of Morisuke’s jacket.

“I’m so sorry, Kitten. If I’d just stayed with you…or if we’d delayed the mission…or…or if anything other than _this_ had happened.”

He scoffed bitterly. “What’s the point? Saying ‘what-if’ can’t change things, can it?”

Tetsurou stared dully straight ahead.

He’d long since run out of tears to cry.

“This is it…huh? We’re running away again. Two omegas alone in the big wide world, soon to have some angry assassins on their back…terrible combination.”

“Make it three!” Came a voice from behind.

Kuroo jumped, scrambling to his feet, ready to run, but when he turned to the path, what he saw made him freeze.

Morisuke was jogging towards him, wearing a more travel-ready dress, cloak, and boots, with four large satchels stuffed to bulging, two hanging from each shoulder.

“Morisuke, what are you doing here?” Kuroo demanded.

Yaku tilted his head to the side. “I knew I’d never win an argument with you over me staying, so I decided I’d go back to the dorms, pack up what I could carry, and follow your scent before it faded out. Plus you’re drenched in wine, so you absolutely reek of alcohol, it was pretty easy to track.”

Tetsurou was beside himself. “What about Lev!? What about all I said? All you said? I thought we agreed he was worth more than us!?”

Morisuke’s gaze softened as he dropped his bags to the ground. “Tetsu…you can’t ask me to choose between the alpha I love and my closest thing to a family. I love you guys. I love Lev. Thing is, Lev will ok where he is, he’s the son of the Guild Master, he’ll eventually take over Half Moon. He doesn’t _need_ me there, no matter what he says. You two need me if you like it or not. Also…”

He bent to one of the bags and produced a metal box, popping it open to reveal bandages and disinfectant. “It’s not much, but I only had a few seconds to grab it when I snuck into the infirmary.”

Kuroo slowly lowered himself to his knees, laying Kenma out on the ground.

As they were working in silence to clean Kenma’s wounds and wrap them in actual bandages, the taller of the two looked up. “Morisuke?”

Off brown eyes met his. “Yeah?”

“…you’re not gonna regret this, are you?”

Morisuke sighed. “Of course I will. I already do. But if I had let you two go alone, and stayed safe at the guild with Lev and the others, I would have felt even worse. I chose the path I felt would make me feel the closest to doing the right thing.”

Kuroo bowed his head. “…thanks.”

“No need to thank me, we’re just getting into this mess.”

Kuroo sighed. “Yeah. Where are we gonna go?”

Morisuke sat back onto his knees, wiping his sleeve across his forehead. “Well…I did hear from Kiyoko a while back about a guy up north who does official ID’s on the cheap. Apparently, he’s got some forgeries of the Karasuno royal seal, so he can even make legitimate citizenships. He’s also gotten ahold of whatever registration codes they use, so you’ll become registered on the census without becoming a citizen legally.”

Kuroo hummed. “Karasuno’s big on industry, isn’t it? We could get jobs up there pretty easily, I’ll bet their capital is taking workers no matter what their histories are. Though…if we were to go for the citizenship change right away, and Master or anyone else from the guild starts looking for us, they’d probably find out. Then we’d be on the radar again. First things first, we need to disappear.”

Kuroo wiped his hands on a rag that was now thoroughly covered in disinfectant alcohol and blood.

“Good point. So we just circle around wherever we can make a living for a few years, then mark Karasuno as our final stop?” Yaku considered as he pulled a white sheet from a different bag. Tying it into a sling, and then fashioning a couple more knots, he was able to create a sling for Kenma’s arm.

Morisuke finished this up and then nodded. “Wander around a while, stack up some cash, and then make for Karasuno. Seems like the best plan.”

They packed everything up and started walking again, Kuroo carefully carrying the still unconscious Kenma.

They’d been walking for about an hour more or less in total silence when Tetsurou spoke. “Morisuke.”

The shorter omega looked up. “What?”

“Did you say goodbye to him?”

Morisuke lowered his gaze back ahead of himself again.

“No.”

Kuroo bit his lower lip. “I’m sorry.”

Morisuke didn’t look back up to him. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. It was Yamada who chose to attack Kenma, the stupid rule is what prevented us from pleading our case, and Master, who hates me, guaranteeing that no matter how good our story, we’d still be killed for it.”

Kuroo bowed his head, shoulders shaking with pent-up frustration. “I just…I just…dammit! It’s not fair! I don’t want to leave.”

Morisuke nodded.

“I don’t want to either.” He managed, his throat closing up, emotions betraying him.

So they continued to walk as the sun set above them, knowing that by now, their absence would have been noticed, and Yamada’s body would have been found.

Now, they would really have to start running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! After this, we'll get back to present day with Tsukki having just heard this crazy story that you've been reading in the flashbacks. Fantastic, right? Anyway! Please drop a comment down below, they help Kei accept the story, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	29. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kei's reaction! Please enjoy~

**_Present Day._ **

 

 

Kei didn’t have words.

Whatever dark past he’d been imagining, whatever horrible occurrences he’d been thinking must have caused Tetsurou to make that shadowy expression months ago, and to snap to fiercely after being pushed too far, this was not it.

Assassins disguised as a tailors guild?

Orphans trained in deceit and weaponry?

An assault on Kenma’s person, and the accidental murder of a guildmate?

A rule that would have put his betrothed to death should he have stayed?

It all was so difficult to believe, that if Tetsurou had burst out laughing and exclaimed ‘did you really buy that?’ at that very moment, Tsukki would have thrown the whole thing out like some twisted made-up story.

Kuroo just stared back him, though, eyes filled with doubt.

Waiting for a reaction.

Kei was honestly unsure of what sort of reaction to give, so he went with a vague conversation starter.

Because he was still unsure of how he felt about the situation himself. “That…is…wow. That…so you were an assassin?”

Kuroo nodded slowly. “Yeah. Um…not really by choice, but…I wasn’t altogether against it…I just…gave me a home, you know?”

He tucked a hand behind his head and looked to the side, unable to meet the princes' eye any longer.

_Do I know? I don’t know. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend how you felt back then. I’ve been lucky enough to be royalty. My whole life has been pampered and comfortable. I have no idea what you must have been feeling._

“I don’t know.”

Clearly.

He certainly didn’t.

He wasn’t even going to _pretend_ he could understand the emotions that his omega had experienced all those years ago.

Yet, despite all that, it hadn’t struck him wrong.

Well, of course, it was wrong.

_And yet…here I am…wishing to bring a smile back onto his face despite that…_

So Kei took a breath to steady himself and spoke. _“_ It wasn’t right but…I certainly don’t think you’re a monster.”

Tetsurou didn’t seem convinced. “You…you get it right? I _killed_ people…for a living! Not just once, or twice. Not just on accident. I helped people do it, I did it myself, and I…”

Kei put a hand up. “That’s true. But…you were a kid, who was wandering by himself with a sick friend and another one who was injured. You were offered a place to stay. I can’t even imagine how scared you must have been, yet you stayed strong for Kenma-san and Morisuke-san. You made the choice to stay there, and you made a family there. Maybe you dealt out justice a little harshly, but as far as you say, everyone you killed had blood on their hands. That doesn’t justify it, and it doesn’t mean what you did is ok. But it doesn’t make you a monster.”

Kuroo didn’t know what was going on.

Maybe, though, it was something akin to acceptance?

Not quite ‘it’s ok’ but more of an ‘I can accept that’.

“After all…”

Kuroo returned his gaze to the blondes face.

Kei gave him a gentle smile, one that was barely even there, but Tetsurou could see it.

“…what was it you said? Against my better judgment, I can still love you?”

Before he knew it he was sobbing into Kei’s shoulder.

Everything that had hung unspoken between them had just been spilled into the light. The secrets and the shadows, and all the skeletons in the closet. There were finally no more secrets left for Tetsurou to be keeping.

He never realized how oddly liberating that would feel.

Liberating to the point that he was bawling his eyes out against Kei’s fancy double button up overcoat.

They stayed like that for a while, the prince patiently waiting for his omegas tears to dry.

Once they did, Kuroo rubbed his eyes heavily with his sleeve and looked towards the gate. “So…um…think you could arrange for them not to be arrested?”

Kei rolled his eyes fondly. “I suppose I could if it means _that_ much to you.”

Tetsurou hated how happy that made him.

They made their way towards the gate at that.

When they arrived, Kei waved over the two guards and informed them that they’d received word from some of Tetsurou’s old friends and that they were dropping by to visit soon and should be treated as esteemed guests, despite their commoner status.

Considering he was the _prince_ , the guards didn’t even think twice before agreeing.

Kuroo then looked worriedly back at the manor. “We should probably tell the others, huh?”

Kei nodded. “It would be wise. I will go inform the kitchen staff that we are expecting guests. Do you have any idea how many of them there will be?”

Tetsurou hesitated, thinking about it as he wiped at the dried tear tracks running down his face with a gloved hand.

“Well, if it’s everyone I used to know, then nine, but I’m not sure just how many of the old gang actually would have left the guild.”

_Would they really give all that up for me? Maybe Bokuto and Akaashi would, there’s Tooru, so Hajime must be with them, and Lev for sure. But what about the other four? Hitoka, Kiyoko, Suguru, and Teru? I don’t know…but I’d like to imagine they would come._

Kei gave a half smile. “I’ll have the table set to accommodate all nine of our extra guests. I’ll also tell the maids to have extra guest rooms prepared. Nine of them as well?”

Kuroo grinned lopsidedly.“Actually, five would be fine. If all nine of them are coming, then eight of those nine are courting couples. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were mated at this point.”

Kei cocked his head to the side. “What if any of them broke up since you’ve been missing?”

Tetsurou shook his head. “Nah, if I know one thing about that group, it’s how crazy they are for each other. They didn’t break up. Actually…”

Kuroo tapped a hand to his chin. “I wonder if he’d room with Morisuke…nah, Mori’d try to kill him…besides, I don’t know how Morisuke feels on that whole thing…”

“What?” Kei asked, looking confused as they made for the steps up into the building.

Kuroo shrugged. “It’s just that, the ninth guy, the odd one out…well, he and Morisuke were courting before we ran away. For about a year. I just wonder how the two of them are going to get along. If I’m being honest I wouldn’t be surprised if they fell right into each other's arms the second they saw each other, they were so in love it was ridiculous.”

Kei quirked a brow, thinking of the short-tempered, yet aggressively caring omega he’d come to know.

He then tried to imagine that same omega head over heels in love with someone.

He frowned. “Morisuke-san felt that way for someone? I find it hard to imagine that.”

Kuroo looked to the prince with a fond smile. “This guy was Morisuke’s sun, stars, and moon. His everything. It’s why Morisuke’s never even acted remotely interested in anyone else. He’s still in love with who he left behi…”

“I SWEAR TO THE GODS YOU BEHEMOTH! ENOUGH! PUT ME DOWN BEFORE TAKE YOUR HEAD OFF!” A voice roared from the mouth of the garden path.

Kuroo’s eyes widened. “Behemoth…? That must be…”

Hitching up his skirts, he rushed around the side of the building with Kei in pursuit.

“What is it now? What’s…whoa.” The prince was left in shock at the sight of someone who stood taller than even him. The alpha was setting down Morisuke, who looked to be ready to throw a fit with how he’d been getting carried around.

Kenma was standing next to the two of them with a fond expression on his face, his mask pulled down over his chin.

The silver-haired giant looked down at him with piercing green eyes, then to Kuroo.

Kuroo smiled as he hooked a finger of the top of his mask and pulled it down.

“Fancy meeting you here.” He said.

When Lev saw who Kuroo was, he instantly bear hugged him.

“TETSUROU-SAN! THERE YOU ARE!”

“Control your volume, big guy, you’re gonna blow out my eardrums!” Tetsurou exclaimed, laughing as he returned the hug from the towering alpha.

After releasing his former comrade, the emerald eyed man turned to Kei.

“Oh, hi! I mean, uh…hi, your highness?” He tried.

Kei shook his head. “I’m Tsukishima Kei. You are?”

Lev grinned. “Ah, great, we’re doing it that way! Easier for me! I’m Haiba Lev, nice to meet you!”

They shook hands.

Kei looked between him and Morisuke for a moment before smiling.

“I take it this is your infamous ex-court mate, Morisuke-san?”  
Lev gasped. “You _talked_ about me!?”

He then whirled to the prince before him.

“What did he say? Huh?” His eyes were glittering with curiosity.

Morisuke turned three shades red. “I said _nothing!_ ”

“That you were his sun, stars, and moon,” Kei repeated back what Tetsurou had told him.

“Really!? That’s so romantic, Mori!” Lev exclaimed, grinning.

“THOSE ARE TETSUROU’S WORDS, NOT MINE!” The small omega roared.

Lev pouted. “So I’m not?”

Morisuke looked up at him before crossing his arms, puffing his cheeks in irritation.

“Well, I didn’t say _that…_ ”

While Lev was busy beaming over this, Tetsurou turned to Kenma.  
“So I take it they got back together?” He asked.

Kenma nodded twice.

“How long did that take?” He asked.

“Like six minutes, tops.” Kenma replied, waggling his hand in a ‘so-so’ gesture.

“Damn. Even faster than I expected, nice going, Lev.” Kuroo muttered.

“Shut up!” Morisuke shouted, pointing at the two of them as Lev gave them a wide grin and a double thumbs up.

Kei quirked a brow.

_He’s probably the farthest thing from what I was expecting from Morisuke-san’s alpha. He’s awfully chipper, as it seems._

Lev sighed, tucking his hands behind his head.

“I should probably go get the others and tell them not to break in…Koutarou-san was supposed to go after any other nobles in the garden with Keiji-san, so I need to go find them.”

“Too late. They already pounced on us.” Tetsurou told him.

Lev jumped, eyes wide. “Eh!?

Kuroo waved a hand. “My bro kinda vaulted over the wall and tried to intimidate Kei and I.”

Lev scratched the back of his head “Oh…whoops, guess we had our plan together a little too well. What happened, did they recognize you?”

Kuroo put his palms to the sky.

“Not really. Kou punched Kei in the gut, and he and I threw hands for a minute or two before I pulled his cap off and recognized his hair. After that, it was just a lot of hugging and screaming. Keiji dropped down from the wall as well to see me. They took off to stop Tooru from shooting anyone. They said they’d bring the rest of the group at sundown.”

Lev seemed pleased, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Awesome! Which means I don’t have to go anywhere!”

Morisuke glanced up at him.

“The whole group means you too, so they won’t come unless they find you.”

Lev wilted. “Oh yeah…”

Morisuke rolled his eyes. “How about you just leave a green stamp near where we were and come back. I’m sure they’ll put two and two together, since green means you were successful in your part of the mission and all.”

The silver-haired man nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea…”

Yaku looked up at him, then at the others present, then seemed to resign himself.

“I’ll go with you. C’mon.” He threaded his fingers in with Lev’s and started towards the path.

“Oh, ok!”Lev suddenly seemed way more eager to walk back to where they’d just been.

Kenma watched them go before turning towards the mansion again. “They won’t be back for _at least_ an hour.”

Kuroo snickered. “I bet they start making out the second they’re out of sight.”

“Who starts it?” Kenma questioned.

“Morisuke.” Tetsurou replied without hesitation.

“Obviously.” Kenma even seemed to find this funny.

Kei watched their backs for a moment before looking back over his shoulder to the path the couple had just vanished down.

_Morisuke-san would initiate…but he didn’t seem like he was very happy to be together with that Lev person again._

Kuroo grabbed Kei’s arm and pulled him along with them.

“I’ll tell you a little secret about Morisuke, alright? He’s the type who’s embarrassed to show affection. Trust me, when he says he hates being picked up or held, he loves it, when he yells at someone, it means he cares, and when he complains about being there, it means he’s glad to be there. If he’s constantly annoyed or irritated, but he chooses to stay by your side anyway, he loves you more than anything else. He’s weird like that."  
Tsukishima then thought about how Morisuke had acted towards the alpha he’d just met.

Definitely irritated, vaguely tired with him, and as though he was angry at his mere presence.

Yet he’d chosen to go with Lev alone anyway.

“So…his sun, moon, and stars, huh?”

Tetsurou nodded. “Oh yeah, Lev is his sun, moon, and stars.”

As they made there way back towards the manor, Kuroo paused and looked back towards the opening to the path. His eyes were caught by motion, however from the cloudy sky above. He looked up and saw a murder of crows flying out towards the forest. On what had become habit since he’d first learned the rhyme from Kei, he quickly counted them up.

_Ten._

He scoffed, a wry smile on his face.

_It’s_ **_ten for a crow that you must not miss._ ** _Yeah, you dumb birds came three years late. Lev had to miss Morisuke for so long…I guess they’re here to warn them not to make the same mistake again?_

He felt a genuine warmth spread in his chest.

_After all this time…Morisuke finally gets to stop feeling that guilt. I always knew Lev was a good guy. After all…if he’s Morisuke’s sun, stars, and moon…_

“Tetsurou, are you coming?”

“Yeah, right behind you!”

He turned back towards the manor and picked up the front of his skirt in order to hurry back towards the two just ahead of him.

_…then Morisuke is Lev’s entire universe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all! So, what do you think of Kei's conclusion? Fair? Crazy? Lemme know! Please drop a comment down below, they help Morisuke escape his embarrassing friends, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	30. Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I was sent to inform you that the guests we’ve been expecting have arrived at the front gate. Shall I have them shown up?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!  
> Please enjoy~

**_The Reception Room._ **

 

“Oh, I’m so excited! We’ll be meeting all of Tetsu, Kenma, and Morisuke’s old friends! Do I look ok? Is my hair frizzy? Is this dress to formal? I don’t want to make them uncomfortable!” Suga seemed to be in a frenzy as he paced back and forth in the reception room.

While Daichi struggled to assure his mate that he looked beautiful as always, and not to worry about it, Kuroo rolled his eyes. “They don’t give a damn about your hair, your dress, or how you talk. Just be yourself.”

Suga turned on him. “We haven’t even seen hide nor hair of Morisuke and his supposed ex-court mate either!”

Kenma glanced up from his book. “They started courting again like five minutes after seeing each other after three years. They’re head over heels, so stop calling them ex’s.”

He idly turned the page, not noticing how Tadashi was looking down at him just a tad bit wistfully when he said that, spare hand fingering something in his vest pocket.

Noya was eagerly watching the window. “I can’t wait to see this guy. Morisuke-san told me a bit about him, and I’ve been curious about him ever since!”

Hinata put his hand up. “So…is there anything more you can tell us about these people?”

Kuroo shrugged. “To be completely honest, I have no idea how many of them are coming. If my guess is right, it’s four alpha males, three omega males, one alpha female, and one omega female. That’s if everyone from our old squad came.”

“And…they’re _all_ couples?” Asahi asked, raising a finger.

Kuroo hummed. “Yeah, for sure. Wouldn’t be surprised if all of them have gotten mated at this point. Y’know, except for the one who was chasing Morisuke.”

Kageyama then entered the room, almost immediately being pounced upon by his mate.

“There you are, Tobio! Did the maid tell you!?”

Kageyama awkwardly caught the flying ball of sunshine who’d slammed into him. “Yes, she did. Um…so Tetsurou-san’s friends are joining us?”

Suga let out a startled gasp.

“Who is _that_!?” He demanded loudly, pointing out the window.

A certain towering alpha had just emerged from the mouth of the forest path and was now standing with his hands in his pockets, facing the path he’d just come from with an amused expression.

Noya looked shocked. “He’s huge! He’s gotta be taller than Kei, even!”

Kuroo leaned over the back of the love seat. “Oh, they’re back already? Wow, that was fast, they’ve only been like fifteen minutes!”

“Ok, that doesn’t answer my question!” Noya exclaimed.

Kenma sighed. “It’s just Lev, he’s harmless.”

Noya whipped his head around at terrifying speed.

“Who _is_ Lev, exactly?” He demanded.

Kenma merely pointed back at the window again.

Yuu looked back out the pane of glass, in order to see Yaku stalking out from the path a few yards behind. He pointed up at Lev and seemed to be yelling, but the green-eyed man just put his palms up with a grin on his face.

Morisuke shouted something else, stomping his foot, only for Lev to turn on his heel and tuck his hands behind his head uncaringly.

Yaku tossed his arms up in defeat before walking ahead of the man.

Lev watched his back for a moment before running up behind him, seizing his hand and dragging him towards the front entrance of the manor, gesturing excitedly with his free hand over something or another.

Noya was speechless.

“That guy is Morisuke-san’s ex!?”

Kenma groaned. “For the last time, they’re not ex’s anymore. Like I said, it took them a whole five minutes to be all over each other again.”

Kuroo snickered. “Sun, stars, and moon.” He hummed, almost to himself.

Inside, he couldn’t have been happier.

_Three years ago Morisuke sacrificed being with the person he loved most to come with us. He chose his family over his alpha, and this whole time he’s been tearing himself apart over how Lev must have thought of him, having vanished without a goodbye. The big guy proved me right…I had always said Lev would never blame him. He would understand. He went a bit further than I expected, tracking us down like he did. But I just…I’m so happy for Morisuke. He gets to have both the things he loves now. At least…_

He’d be lying if he hadn’t been thinking of how things would go after this vacation was over, but for now, he was going to enjoy the moment.

His slate gray eyes shifted back over to Kei, who was sitting next to him on the loveseat situated with it’s back to the window in the reception room.

He idly slipped his hand into the princes free one. The blonde didn’t even act phased, but he did lift his palm so Kuroo could tuck his under, and twined their fingers together.

Tetsurou looked down at their joined hands for a moment before leaning his head back again.

_…at least for a few weeks, I get to have my old family, with my new friends, and my alpha, all under the same roof._

The thought did send his chest to swelling just a bit.

_…I’m gonna cry, aren’t I?_

He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

_Dammit…Suguru’s gonna tease me like crazy…if he doesn’t cry too. Tooru and Hitoka will be waterfalls…Iwaizumi is going to try and intimidate the hell out of all the alphas here, and he’ll probably succeed. Kiyoko will be so concerned, I’ll bet she’s gonna be interrogating everyone here about our wellbeing the entire time. That is…_

His face fell just slightly.

_If any of them came. I know Tooru’s here. That means Iwa, right? Then again, they always did have a temperamental relationship. Am I being too confident in them still being together? Or is just some little part of me…praying that I didn’t miss everyone falling apart?_

He had to admit, that fear was still with him. That things had broken and crumbled when he’d left, not due to his absence, but simply because that was how life worked.

The things he wanted, or loved, always tended to fall apart before long.

He tried to keep calm, but his heartbeat wouldn’t settle, and it was making him feel jittery. His eyes continued to flit anxiously around the room until Kei squeezed the hand he was still holding.

“Tetsurou…look out that side window, the one just past Asahi-san.”

Kuroo did, his eyes snapping to the window.

He didn’t realize what he was supposed to be looking at, until he saw a couple of crows sitting on the tree branch that arched a few yards from the window, raven black feathers looking glossy as they were framed by the setting sun.

“Two of them?” He asked softly, not quite ready to accept that. After all, the rhyme hadn’t let him down yet, but he was still too filled with apprehension to allow such a small comfort to completely calm him.

Thankfully, a silver-haired giant now found it time to make his entrance, tearing Kuroo’s thoughts from this melancholy streak.

“This place is insane, Mori! You’re telling me the palace is even fancier?” Lev asked, looking down to Morisuke.

Yaku simply gestured forward. “I’ll tell you after you properly introduce yourself.”

“Huh?” 

It seemed he’d only just realized the room they’d entered was full of people.

“Oh! Hi! I’m Haiba Lev, it’s nice to meet you all!”He had the mind to bow, not very well, but still.

Kuroo watched the whirlwind of introductions with a smile on his face, everyone assuring Lev that he was welcome with them and not to worry too much about formalities.

_They’d never do this for anyone else…this is because he’s my friend and Morisuke’s alpha…_

Kuroo was grateful they weren’t going to uphold to much of the typical song and dance that came with nobility. Then again, he knew from each of them personally that they disliked having to talk down to others.

Well, at least, to a degree. It depended on who you asked.

Noya was the first one to speak beyond introductions. “So _you’re_ who he was telling me all about! You’re so tall! And I claimed Asahi was a gentle giant! Morisuke-san, why didn’t you mention it?”

Yaku fixed Noya with a dagger-like stare. “You promised not to talk about that conversation, even if the topic of said conversation is standing in front of you!”

Lev smiled warmly. “You actually talked about me? Really?”

Yaku looked away, seeming embarrassed. “Of course I did, what did you expect?”

The younger shrugged, seeming a bit resigned. “I always thought you hated admitting you were courting me. You always did before.”

Morisuke put his hands up. “Not hated! It’s just…I…ugh…”

He seized Lev’s sleeve and dragged him down.

“Can we talk about this later? Alone?” He hissed into his ear.

Lev seemed to get the message that this wasn’t something Morisuke wanted to be put on the spot about. “Oh…yeah, sure.”

Noya waved his arms. “Hey! You didn’t answer my question!”

“Why would I mention his height of all things?” Morisuke asked.

Noya seemed unconvinced. “Why would you mention his height!? He’s like a solid _foot_ taller than you!”

“He is not!” Morisuke began loudly.

Lev put a hand up. “Actually, I grew two more inches after you left.”

Yaku turned on him. “Goddammit, Lev! How!? What does that make you now?”

He put up a peace sign. “6 foot 6. Sorry, Mori, that makes it a foot _and_ an inch. Unless you grew…which I’m pretty sure you didn’t.”

“Of course I didn’t! I’m still just 5’5! Ugh, why!?” Morisuke planted his hands into his hair in frustration.

Noya was laughing, and Kuroo observed this entire exchange with a smile on his face.

Kei tucked a hand under his chin. “Are the rest as loud as he is?”

Kuroo snickered. “Not loud, but they’re just as rough around the edges.”

It was then that a knock was heard from the reception rooms door.

“Enter,” Tadashi called from where he stood behind the armchair Kenma was still sitting in, with a book large as his head in his lap.

The door swung inward, and a maid poked her head in.

Once she’d assured she was clear to enter, she came in and bowed deeply to the assembled group.

“I was sent to inform you that the guests we’ve been expecting have arrived at the front gate. Shall I have them shown up?”

Kei hummed. “Immediately.” He replied.

The maid straightened. “Yes, your highness.”

She then bowed again, and left once more, the door closing lightly behind her.

Kuroo felt his nerves return full force. At this point, it had occurred to him that Lev would know who’d come along, but he didn’t feel like it was worth asking at this point.

In only a minute or so, he’d know who’d spent the last two and half years chasing after him.

That was when they heard a loud cacophony of footsteps pounding up the stairs. He vaguely recognized the maid from earlier saying something about not running, but that didn’t seem to do anything.

A second later, the door into the reception room slammed open.

Familiar faces were hassling each other trying to get in first.

People who were older versions of that snapshot in the photo book.

“YOU BITCH!”

Someone managed to get free of the dog pile at the door, shot across the room, and slammed into Tetsurou, who had only just stood up.

It was Suguru.

“Do you have any goddamn clue how worried we were!? Next time you decide to take off, give us a heads up! Gods, are you ok!?”

The brunette pulled away, clasping Tetsurou by the shoulders and looking him up and down.

The other members of the group came tumbling in right behind him.

Rough around the edges was a good description for this gang, seeing as all of them were dressed in travel-worn winter clothes.

Tooru was upon him next. “I…was so…so…I…TETSU-CHAN!”

He was blubbering, wrapping his arms around Kuroo’s shoulders with tears running down his face.

“Tooru, hey…c’mon…you…you were always an ugly crier.”

Large brown eyes met his before a choked laugh escaped and he was getting hugged again.

 _“Rude! Always so rude!”_ Tooru exclaimed, hiccuping against his tears.

“Hey! I don’t get a greeting! Hello!?” Suguru snapped, shaking Kuroo, and by extent Tooru.

“Yeah…it’s…uh…good to see you, Suguru.”

He was now getting aggressively hugged by two people.

“GOOD TO SEE YOU! IT’S BEEN THREE DAMN YEARS AND HE SAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU!” Suguru shouted against Tetsurou’s shoulder since he was fiercely hugging him.

“Kenma-san!”

Hitoka, meanwhile, had chosen a different target, having rushed across the room upon her entry. Kenma’s book hit the floor with a loud thud as he stood to receive her, spreading his arms. Hitoka was currently clinging around Kenma’s midsection. Kenma was hugging her back, which went to show some of how happy the older omega was to see her.

“Hi, Hitoka. I’m happy to see you.” He mumbled.

“TERU I SWEAR TO THE GODS PUT ME DOWN!”

Morisuke, on the other hand, had just been picked up by a different alpha than usual, this time it was Terushima hugging him. Unfortunately, since Terushima was a good deal taller than him as well, the hug resulted in his feet leaving the ground.

“C’mon, do you have any idea how long we’ve been looking for you! Act at least a little happy!” Yuuji insisted.

Hinata’s eyes widened. “Do you have metal in your mouth?”

Yuuji glanced over to him, Yaku now dangling from his arms with the expression of a murderous kitten, and Lev seeming stuck between being possessive or just letting the fun carry on.

It seemed like he decided to let it carry on since he had an expression leaning more towards amused then alphian rage.

“Yeah! Check it!” Terushima, meanwhile, stuck his tongue out, showing off a barbell that was piercing his tongue.

Shouyou let out a gasp, and Kageyama looked impressed from just behind him.

“That’s soooo cool!” He exclaimed.

Yuuji finally did set Yaku down, he had a wide smile on his face, seeming to be rather happy that the nobles thought his piercings were cool.

Kiyoko was also upon Morisuke, though luckily for the auburn-haired omega they were more or less the same height, so this time his feet got to stay in contact with the floor. Bokuto and Akaashi were surrounding Kenma, and with the way, Kenma threw himself onto Keiji once he’d let go of Hitoka, the close bonds were being made apparent.

Kuroo was struggling to get Tooru to stop crying, struggling to get Suguru to stop cursing him out through his own tears, and also sounding like a hypocrite with how was tearing up as well, when Hajime stepped up.

The bulky alpha cast a large shadow from the door, and when he met eyes with Kuroo, he merely put a hand to his hip with a crooked smile.

“Hey.” He greeted.

Such a simple word, and it wasn’t as though the alpha were doing anything overly affectionate. Just a smile, with fondness in his eyes, and a greeting.

Just like he would have said any other day if it were three years ago.

With Iwaizumi standing there, that made nine.

Tetsurou lost it.

He wasn’t one for waterworks, but what was happening was the one thing he hadn’t dared to hope for.

His new friends, the nobles.

His old family, the assassins.

His alpha, the prince.

It was overwhelming to him because every person he trusted and loved on the planet was currently in the same room. Sure, there were only nineteen of them total. That was if you counted Morisuke and Kenma. It wasn’t as though Kuroo had much room for trusting people in his heart, after what the majority of his life had been like.

He was just…happy.

Those two crows he’d seen out the window, the ones that Kei had spotted, had been there to offer comfort after all.

You see, it was ** _two for mirth._**

Thanks to this, this true, warm, all-encompassing happiness he was feeling, it was like all the weight, the guilt, the unanswered questions that he’d been dragging around for the past three years had evaporated all at once.

His old friends, no, his _family_ , weren’t angry with him.

They were here, they wanted to find him, and be with him again. Him, Morisuke, and Kenma, because they cared, and they hadn’t given up even after almost three long years.

All this coming together made him feel so happy, so relieved, so liberated, so _mirthful_ , that he cried.

It was strange because, for the first time in his life, the tears he cried weren’t for the pain he was in, or the crumbling of his mind, or frustration or disbelief, or the what-ifs that could have changed his fate.

This time, they were tears of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! The bands back together! For the finally count, we've got the guys from Half Moon, Yachi, Kiyoko, Tooru, Iwa, Daishou, Teru, Akaashi, Bokuto, and Lev, plus the Noble Court, Suga, Daichi, Asahi, Noya, Yamaguchi, Kei, and our main Trio Kenma, Mori, and obviously Kuroo. Everyone's here!!! :D Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo hold on to his happiness, and please leave kudos if you haven't been here before! Thanks for reading!


	31. Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, wow! You must have all sorts of stories with them.”
> 
> “You have no idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hot mess that is all these idiots in the same house begins now! Dinnertime with EVERYONE! And we mean EVERYONE! Please enjoy~

**_Dinner._ **

 

 

“So you really do have to wear princess gear, huh? I thought I’d never see the day you wore anything like that! It’s so puffy, my gods, do you even still have legs under there?” Suguru harped, having a good laugh over Kuroo’s outfit.

The raven-haired man rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, make fun of my outfit. Sounds about right. You know, what about a nice little ‘thank you’ for that pretty little mating bite you’re sporting there, sweetheart?” He remarked, poking his fellow omega in the side.

Suguru turned three shades red, clapping a hand over the bond mark on his neck that certainly hadn’t been there when Kuroo had left.

“What are you talking about!?”

Keiji, seating across the table, spoke just then, looking at Suguru. “As I recall it, Tetsurou-san is the one who convinced Teru to propose to you in the first place, remember?”

Terushima grinned. “Hell yeah, he did! Kicked my ass into the gear, and even went gift shopping with me! You’re the best wingman I could have asked for!” Yuuji called.

Kuroo gave him finger guns.Yuuji returned them with gusto.

Suguru groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

“Hey, here’s an idea, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, are Yaku and the beanstalk back at it?” He suggested, clearly just trying to get the topic off of himself.

Lev gave two thumbs up. “Yup!”

“Yaku and the beanstalk!?” Morisuke roared.

Tooru waved a hand. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I bet it’ll only take a couple months before it’s _Haiba_ and the beanstalk.”

“TOORU!”Morisuke screeched as it was Lev’s turn to get embarrassed, putting a hand over his mouth at the thought of giving Morisuke his last name.

“Leave them alone, Trashykawa.” Iwaizumi muttered.

Oikawa waggled his eyebrows. “Can you still call me that when my last name isn’t ‘Oikawa’ anymore?”

“Wait, that happened?” Kenma asked, leaning over to see around Iwaizumi to Tooru.

The omega grinned proudly. “You betcha! It’s been a little under a year!”

Kenma nodded, then patting Iwaizumi on the shoulder silently.

Iwaizumi seemed disgruntled. “I can’t tell if you’re congratulating me or wishing me luck because I’m stuck with that idiot the rest of my life.” He muttered.

Kenma shrugged. “A bit of both.”

“Ah. Thanks.” Iwaizumi seemed content with this.

“Rude, Ken-chan! Iwa-chan! ” Tooru whined at them.

Suga, seated towards the opposite head of the table, watched the absolutely out of control dinner going down.

Noya was fitting in pretty well, as was Hinata. Kageyama seemed to be riding his mates' coattails in order to comment just every now and then, and Asahi, albeit awkwardly, was making small talk with Bokuto, who seemed just as oblivious to the situation as ever. Kei was merely adding some scathing commentary here and there while listening in on Tetsurou’s conversations, and Tadashi seemed to be having a decent conversation with the little blonde female omega, Hitoka. Both her and Tadashi seemed extremely anxious at first, but the nerves were slowly fading away to be replaced with genuine conversation.

Suga bit his bottom lip slightly, observing for a few moments more before speaking to his mate. “Dai…I’m kind of concerned about how rowdy they are.”

Daichi laughed softly. “Don’t worry about it, they’re just happy to see each other again. Why don’t you get involved in the conversation?”

Suga’s face flushed slightly. “How? I’ve got nothing in common with them!”

Daichi smiled. “How do you think Kuroo felt when he first got here?”

Koushi thought on it, realizing how hard Kuroo had tried back then to figure out his place in things and figured after Tetsurou had done all that, the very least he could do was put some effort into talking with his friends.

Suga hesitated, then he glanced across diagonally to the only member of Kuroo’s former group who wasn’t actively caught up in conversation. The lone female alpha, who had glasses seated on the bridge of her nose. One of the arms of said glasses was held together by some industrial tape, and the leather covering that was supposed to pad the metal against the side of her head was missing on the other arm. Despite that, Suga, a happily mated omega, could admit she was a gorgeous alpha, though she seemed rather quiet. She’d spent the majority of dinner just eating and watching. She’d commented once that the food was very good, and had thanked the maid who’d brought her her plate, but that was about it.

Steeling himself, Koushi decided to make a move.

“Are you enjoying the meal so far?” He asked, smiling.

The alpha nodded, a neutral expression on her face. “Yes, it is very good, thanks.”

Suga hesitated. “I…I don’t believe I introduced myself to you when we first met in the reception room, it was all rather hectic. I’m Sawamura Koushi, but please, call me Suga.”

She nodded. “I’m Shimizu Kiyoko. It’s very nice to meet you, thank you again for having us, I know we sprung this on you all rather abruptly.”

_She speaks much more formally than the others…I wonder if she’s got a higher education, or if that’s because she’s trying to sound more proper since…well, she is in a noble manor talking to the upper nobility of the country. I wouldn’t blame her._

“Not at all. We’re very happy to have you here. It’s great to see Tetsu so happy, as well as Morisuke and Kenma. Morisuke seems to be getting a bit irritated with his court mate, though.”

Suga commented this as Morisuke seemed to be wailing Lev out over an offhanded remark on his height.

Kiyoko shook her head. “They’ve always been like that. Don’t worry, Morisuke isn’t really that angry, it’s just how he reacts to things.”

Suga hummed. “Have you known them a long time?”

Kiyoko nodded. “I’ve known Lev all his life, and for as long as I can remember. I was taken in by the tailors guild off the streets when I was five. Lev, being only two at the time, was around quite often. I’ve known Morisuke since we were eleven when he first arrived at our guild with Tetsurou and Kenma.”

Suga’s eyes lit up. “I’ll bet they were adorable kids! You must have gotten into all sorts of trouble together” He commented, not really thinking.

Kiyoko smiled lightly. “I suppose so. I remember when we were thirteen, Tetsurou used to complain about his spiky hair, so I tried to find a way to smooth it down with gel we found in one of the older omegas offices. That gel turned out to be glue, and we wound up in quite a bad situation. Tetsurou had to have his hair all but entirely cut off, and I had to soak my hands in a removing solution for hours.”

Suga laughed. “Oh, wow! You must have all sorts of stories with them.”

Kiyoko hummed, her eyes glittering behind her glasses.

“You have _no_ idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was more of a segway than anything, but I loved writing all the dialogue for this one. So, please drop a comment down below, they help Morisuke not to have an aneurysm with all his old friends teasing him, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	32. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you take me for, some sort of child?”
> 
> “A grown omegian man-child, yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SLUMBER PARTY!  
> WITH ASSASSIN OMEGAS!   
> HOORAY! :D   
> Also late Happy New Year to everyone!!! I hope 2019 treats you well!   
> Please enjoy~

**_That Evening._ **

 

 

“Spill, spill, spill!” Tooru chanted, sitting cross-legged on Kuroo’s bed.

“Calm down, trash queen. I’ve got my own questions about you lot, you know.” Tetsurou replied as he walked across the bedchamber, still not quite believing the sight before him.

Suguru was sprawled on the bed, his head hanging upside-down off one side, Tooru was hugging a pillow with an eager expression on his face. Yachi was cross-legged, leaning on the headboard, looking like she was already dozing off, and Kenma was sitting next to her with a book in his lap, though it was closed.

The door just then creaked open, Keiji poking his head in.

“I got him to go to sleep.” The tanned omega reported.

Kuroo chuckled. “What, the big lug didn’t want to spend the night without his Akaaaaashi?”

When he said the name he put on an imitation of Bokuto’s voice.

Keiji rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately, he’s as clingy as ever.”

“You love it, don’t lie!” Suguru called, sitting up from where he’d been lying on the bed.

Hitoka smiled. “It’s kind of funny how he still calls you by your maiden name when he gets grumpy at this point, isn’t it?”

Kuroo turned a sly grin towards Keiji, whose face had just wilted.

“Ah…yes, I suppose.” He mumbled as Kuroo walked over to him and threw an arm around his shoulders.

“So you two _did_ get down to business, huh?”

Keiji blushed heavily and shoved Tetsurou off him. “Y-Yes! We did, why must you make such a big deal over it?”

Kenma glanced up. “So Koutarou made you his, huh? Was there ever any doubt?”

Keiji turned on him. “Kenma, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

The artificial blonde shrugged. “It’s funny to watch you squirm, most stuff doesn’t phase you.”

“Kenma!” Akaashi exclaimed, prompting laughter from the others in the room.

Tooru then stood up, his nightgown’s skirt falling to his ankles, and walked over to the two of them. “Come on, come on! We kicked out all the alphas so we could gossip!”

Kuroo allowed himself to be grabbed by the wrist and dragged over towards the bed.

“Though I feel kind of bad that we’re giving them the boot.” He commented.

“You kidding? Yuuji passed out like he hadn’t seen a bed in months.” Suguru snickered.

Tetsurou gasped. “Look at that first name basis!”

“We’ve been mated for almost a year and a half,” Suguru grumbled, not seeming too concerned with Kuroo comment.

“Well, _I_ didn’t know that until a couple of hours ago!” Kuroo snapped, sitting himself down on Hitoka's opposite side.

She looked up to him with a smile. “And we didn’t know you were the One of Karasuno royalty, Tetsurou-san.”

Tetsurou let out a low sigh. “Haaaaah…yeah. That happened. Wait a second…” 

He frowned. “If you guys didn’t know that, but you figured out it was me who killed Yamada…how did you figure out it was me in the first place?”

Suguru’s eyes narrowed at him. “Are you saying you have got away with it? If you could have why didn’t you just cover it up and stay!?”

Tetsurou threw his arms up. “No, no! If I have stayed, it would have been obvious it was me, but like…what did you guys find that made it obvious it was me, and it wasn’t just coincidence that he fell out a window the same day we ran away.”

Keiji shook his head. “That’s quite the coincident.”

Tetsurou huffed. “I’m just curious!”

Suguru stood up, walking over to his backpack in the corner of the room, which was piled along with everyone else stuff.

“Here, you dropped this.”He produced Kuroo old thigh strap, with his dagger sheathed and still attached, throwing it across the room.

Kuroo caught it, then looked at the item. The leather was discolored, likely from what it had lain in for hours, maybe even days, before it was discovered.

“This is…oh, wait, now I remember! Yamada cut it from my leg, I’ve still got a scar from that one. When I went to dive for it, he kicked it away.”

Hitoka nodded. “Yup! We snuck up there to investigate the scene and I saw the light reflecting off the buckle. We got ahold of it, but just as we did one of Yamada’s group came in.”

Keiji sighed. “We managed to keep it fairly well hidden, but they still saw it, we’re guessing that’s why they immediately realized who’d done it and started chasing you.”

Kuroo groaned. “Oh, fantastic, thanks, guys!”

“We didn’t do it on purpose! It’s why we took off a few weeks later, we were all just too worried and couldn’t do nothing anymore! Besides, we found Ken-chan’s slippers in the room as well, and wanted to beat the shit out of them for following an asshole like Yamada!” Tooru exclaimed as he threw his arms protectively around Kenma.

“I didn’t ask you too.”

“Ken-chan, we love you! Like it or not!”

Keiji sighed. “As you can tell, if we had been in your situation, Tetsurou-san, it is likely that we all would have done the same.”

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “Did I mention throwing him out the window was an accident?”

Suguru groaned. “Gods, how the hell did you manage that?”

Tetsurou flopped across his lap dramatically.

“HE THREW ME INTO A WINE CABINET!” He howled.

Hitoka frowned. “And that has to do with the window how…?”

Keiji pursed his lips. “Well, the wine cabinet was directly beneath the window, as I remember. Perhaps, he jumped on you, and you kicked him over yourself, and it just so happened there was a window there?”

Kuroo looked up to Akaashi gratefully.

“Someone who understands me!” He declared, gesturing randomly at Akaashi, who simply shook his head fondly.

Tooru waved his hands to gather attention. “Now that that’s done with, we want the details! As I was saying earlier. Spill, spill, spill!”

Kuroo groaned. “The whole ‘The One’ story? It’s a lot of pointless rules and bullshit, I warn you.”

Suguru waved his hand idly, not seeming to care his fellow omega was draped across his lap. “We’ve got _alllll_ night.”

He then glanced over his shoulder at the door.“Except we’re missing someone. Where’s Morisuke at?”

“Take a wild guess,” Kenma said flatly.

“Oh, yeah…well, I should have expected…”

“I’m here, I’m here!” Morisuke suddenly came rushing through the door, slamming it behind him and hurrying inside.

Kuroo’s eyes widened with surprise. “Oh, hey. We didn’t think you’d join us.”

Morisuke leaned on the bedpost with a surprised expression. “How come?”

Kenma rolled his eyes. “It starts with L, ends in V, and there’s an E in the middle.”

Everyone stifled laughter and Morisuke threw his arms up.

“Why that? I already…talked to him. Besides, he should rest, according to Iwa he’d been roaming around the forest for hours before he ran into us.”

Kuroo shook his head. “Don’t use that as an excuse to get away from talking to him.”

Morisuke sputtered. “W-What!? I’m not! I just said I already did talk to him! It’s fine!”

“Uh-huh.” Suguru hummed, checking his nails as he did so.

“What does _that_ mean?” Morisuke asked in a scathing voice.

Kenma looked too him.“What you guys said in the forest was more of an opened ended recap. It was also pretty emotion heavy. I think you should go talk to him now that both of you are more level headed.”

“You’re the one who encouraged me to get back with him, Kenma! All that ‘do something for yourself for once’ bullshit! Also, I was level headed then, too!” The auburn haired man insisted, slamming his palm on the top of the bedpost.

Tooru whistled. “Yeah, looks like it.”

“SHUT UP!” Morisuke shouted at him.

Tooru threw his arms up. “Why does everyone always get so easily pissed off at _me_!?”

“Because you’re annoying?” Kuroo suggested.

“I made a simple damn statement!” The brunette exclaimed in fury, chucking a pillow Tetsurou's way.

Keiji shook his head at the squabbling before turning to Yaku. “If you want to go talk to him, or simply spend time with him, we’re fine with that. And if you want to spend the night with him, no one will start making innuendos come morning… _right?_ ”

His green eyes turned harshly upon the others gathered on the bed.

“C-Course not, Keiji! We’d never!” Kuroo stuttered, putting his hands up in surrender.

Suguru gasped, putting a had to his chest.“What do you take me for, some sort of child?”

“A grown omegian man-child, yes.” Keiji replied.

“Keiji, how could you?”Suguru moaned, as if personally offended.

“It’s true,” Tooru commented.

“I didn’t exclude you from that statement, Tooru-san.”

“KEIJI WHY!?” 

“Exactly.”

Morisuke, meanwhile, had scrunched his face up. “I don’t want to bother him now, he’s probably already asleep.”

Tooru scoffed. “If it’s you knocking on the door, he wouldn’t care if it was 2 in the morning.”

Yaku shook his head. “No, no, it’s not worth it. I’ll just hang around with you guys.”

He made to climb onto the bed, only to be gently shoved off by Hitoka.

“I think you need to go see Lev, Morisuke-san.” She said decisively.

The entire collective group of omegas stared dumbly at her for a moment before Kuroo stood up.

“You heard the lady, get your cute little frilly nightgown-ed butt out there.”

He insisted, walking around the bed and picking Morisuke up by the armpits as if he were a cat.

“W-What!? No! Why is it suddenly decided if Hitoka says it!?” He demanded, thrashing around in an attempt to escape.

“Because Hitoka never gets involved unless she thinks it’s important. If she thinks it’s important than it’s important. Her sixth sense for shit like that has gotten us out of plenty of binds.” Suguru replied, dangling his head upside-down from the end of the bed again.

“I didn’t mean that! I was just saying, it feels like he needs to go talk to Lev. That’s all. I wasn’t trying to force him or anything!” Hitoka was backtracking fast, but Kuroo had already reached the door.

“And out you go.” He dropped Yaku to the ground on the carpet outside.

“Tetsurou, I don’t need to see him, it’s fine! If it’s so damn important I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

The raven-haired omega before him crossed his arms.

“Sounds like you’re putting it off. Do you not want to see him?”He asked as he stepped out the door and closed it behind himself, giving them privacy in the hallway.

Morisuke’s eyes widened. “What? Of course not! I just…he’s tired and…”

He turned to the side, avoiding Kuroo’s gaze. “…and I don’t want to bother him right now.”

Kuroo sighed. “I knew it. You are scared about what’ll happen when you’re alone with him, aren’t you?”

Yaku’s eyes darted back to him. “No! I was alone with him earlier today! It was fine!”

“That’s because I’m assuming your mouths were occupied with something other than talking to each other.”

Morisuke huffed. “Actually…no. We did talk. But…about nothing. How you’ve been. How the others have been. Not much about ourselves. I didn’t really talk much about myself. He didn’t talk much about him, either. We came back pretty quickly since we didn’t want to miss the others, so we weren’t out there that long.”  
Tetsurou put a hand on his hip.

“I might not be any sort of love guru, but…it’s not a good idea to let this pile up. I know how much you care about him. And him being here proves how much he cares about you. So…”

Tetsurou gave him a gentle shove towards the mouth of the hallway.“Go see him.”

Morisuke fisted his hands before turning around. “Fine! Just so you’ll get off my back! But if he’s already asleep I’m not gonna wake him up!”

He stalked off up the hallway with Kuroo watching him go, shaking his head at him.

Tetsurou then went back into his bedchamber to the others.

“So you got him to go?” Kenma asked.

“Yeah, though he insists it’s just to get us off his back.”

Suguru snorted. “He really hasn’t changed, as he?”

Hitoka smiled. “It’s kind of nice to know that some things have stayed the same. Don’t you guys think?”

Keiji nodded. “I agree. I’m very happy to know that some things will never change.”

Suguru let out a long groan. “Enough of this heavy stuff. TETSUROU!”

Kuroo jumped. “ _What?_ Gods, why did you need to screech at me?”

The brunette grinned. “Story. Beginning to end. Now.”

Kuroo frowned. “Do I have too?”

“Yes.”

“Indeed.”

“Yup.”

“Obviously.”

Kenma nodded his head.

“Kitten, you know everything! You were there!”

Kenma shrugged. “I wanna see everyone's reactions.”

Kuroo planted a hand to his forehead. “Alright fine…so I suppose it all started when we decided to attend the Selection Ceremony in September…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now. Don't worry I'm not actually rehashing the story from Kuroo's words, even tho that would be kinda fun, we're gonna hop off the TsukkiKuroo for just a second while I shamelessly indulge myself in my one true love, YakuLev angst. XD So...please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo tell his story without getting too embarrassed by his friends, and leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	33. Someone to Live For.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HOW DARE YOU!? I’M ELEGANT!”
> 
> “As an elephant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry I took so long! Got a bit busy and didn't really have the time to edit this chapter out the way I liked, plus some other interests dragged my attention away from here.  
> Knitting is fun. I like knitting. I've been mass producing knit beanies because the weather is awful where I am so YAY!   
> Back to the story tho, I finally got the time to do it, though, so here we are!   
> Please enjoy~

**_With Morisuke._ **

 

_Stupid. So stupid. Why are they making me do this? I don’t need to talk to Lev. We already talked. A lot. And I cried. A lot. And I hated it. I don’t need to talk to him. We’re fine…aren’t we?_

The doubt he carried couldn’t go away just like that. How could it ever? He’d been so carried away simply seeing Lev again. Knowing he’d come after him, even after these years of lost time, and wanted him again.

He’d said yes to courting him again.

It was all he’d wanted for since the day he’d left.

Yet he still feared the alphas anger.

_How couldn’t he be angry? I still don’t get it. What he said out in the forest, how the only anger he felt was that I didn’t come to him first…that can’t be true. I just…is it my own mind playing tricks? Because, for these past three years, I’ve been rehearsing apologies and pleas for forgiveness, and words to calm him down when he’d surely get pissed off at me if I ever saw him again. Thinking it was pointless because I would never see him again, ever. Yet here he is, and the first thing he says when he realized who I am…is how pretty he thinks I look._

Morisuke gritted his teeth.

_This goddamn idiot, who I abandoned, who I haven’t seen in years, whose devotion and trust I betrayed, and yet…the first words he said…were you look so pretty. What the hell is wrong with you? Why can’t you see that I’m not worth it…? But in the forest…after what Kenma said, I couldn’t just say no. I tried to do what he said, tried to do something for myself, to have what I want…even if I shouldn’t have said yes to courting him again._

What sort of love could you call this, when all he could think of was all that Lev had been made to sacrifice for him?

_I do want to court him! I want to be his, more than anything! So…how could I deny that? That’s the whole problem, isn’t it…would I do what I want, or what’s best for him? The answer’s obvious…but after what Kenma said…how would I even begin to convince him. I don’t think I’d be able to keep it in if I tried to make it seem like I honestly didn’t want to be with him anymore. Not to mention it’d be impossible to try that since I already burned that bridge in the forest earlier. If I tried to convince him it was because it was best, he’d never agree._

Morisuke rolled his head back, staring at the ceiling, the artful molding, and flowery papering scrolling slowly by as he walked.

_This is why I didn’t want to go see him. I could always crash in the parlor…but then those jerks would get on me for sure in the morning._

Some small part of him, what he’d liken to his omega buried deep inside, was insisting to just spend the night with Lev after all. Not mention any of these thoughts in his head that were driving him crazy, and just enjoy being with his alpha again. He felt his heart skip a beat, at memories of cold nights on the road between jobs, shivering in his sleeping bag until Lev had wrapped his arms around him. That warmth, that unconditional sense of safety when he was with Lev, no matter what, was waiting just up ahead.

Scratch that, just behind this door.

Yaku had arrived at the side wing where Lev’s guest bedroom was. He stared up at the large double doors before him, the gilded golden doorknob there for him to turn.

_To just let myself in, and say what exactly?_

He was still mostly unclear on that himself.

Yaku gripped his elbows, rocking back on his heels.

_I’ll just…just knock on the door, and go from there. If he gets angry, then on the bright side at least it’ll be easier to convince him I was never worth all this. Ha, yeah…’bright side’._

He lifted his fist, about to bring it to the door when it all of the sudden swung open.

Lev was standing there, looking down at him in surprise. “Oh, hey. I thought I heard someone out here.”

Morisuke felt his face heat up at the sight before he slapped a hand over his eyes. “Gods, Lev, put a shirt on if you’re gonna open the door!”

Sure enough, the alpha had apparently not deemed it necessary to put a shirt on, wearing only the same work pants he’d been wearing during the day.

Lev snickered. “Aw, what’s the big deal? I just got out of the bath, and it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“Do you not realize this is a noble manor?”

“That means it’s illegal to be shirtless?”

“No! Just…ugh, never mind…”

Lev quirked a smile, knowing _exactly_ why Morisuke had gotten angry at him not putting a shirt on, and backing out of the doorway.

“Did you need something?” He asked.

Morisuke hesitated, tightening his grip on his elbows. “I…yeah. I wanted to talk to you.”

_No, I don’t, but it’s not like I’m getting much of a choice._

Lev hummed. “Sure. Come in.” He gestured, walking into the room.

It was smaller than Kuroo’s staggering bedchambers in the palace, only a single room, albeit a big one. It had several claw-footed, red upholstered chairs with gold trimming, and Lev plopped down into one of them.

“This place is crazy. Never thought I’d be let into a place like this…you know, unless it was for…” He trailed off, drawing his thumb across his throat with a wink.

Morisuke shook his head as he came in, shutting the door behind him. “For the son of an assassin guild’s master, you sure are pretty touchy about the word ‘kill’. I never remember you saying it.”

Lev put his palms up. “What can I say? I try to keep it classy.”

Morisuke shook his head. “Nothing about you is classy.”

“Oh come on, I thought that was pretty good.” Lev insisted, looking back to him with a depth of fondness to his eyes.

“Sure, whatever makes you happy.”

Lev watched him walk in, a troubled expression crossing his face. “Are you alright? You seem upset about something.”

Morisuke jumped before putting a hand up in an attempt to dissuade Lev’s worries.

“I’m not. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” He insisted.

Lev raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t buy that.” He said firmly.

Morisuke snapped his head towards him. “It’s been almost three damn years, don’t act like you can read my mind!”

The younger didn’t even look surprised at the change of tone, but he did look a little hurt.

“That doesn’t change how well I could read you before, Mori. You can change, but not enough that I can’t tell when you’re worried about something. Does this have to do with how I put you on the spot earlier? I’m sorry about that. I didn’t even think about it when Noya-san said you talked about me before.”

Morisuke sat down into the chair opposite him, propping his elbows on his knees and threading his fingers into his hair. “It’s…something to do with that.”

_No, it’s not! Stop dodging the subject! Get it over with!_

Morisuke accused himself within the confines of his own mind.

Lev snapped his fingers. “See, I knew you were upset! I’m sorry, really. I didn’t think about how that might have made you uncomfortable.”

Yaku looked back up to him. “The reason I never talked about you at home was that people would treat me like shit once they found out I was your court mate. Half the town hated me by the time I ran away. People here aren’t like that, they don’t know about who you are, and wouldn’t care even if they did know. They’re nobility, for gods sake. So of course I’d talk about you. If people back there weren’t _assholes_ , I would have talked about you all the time, I just..”

The omega let out a sharp groan, catching himself rambling.

“Gods, thats not what I was trying to get at, at all! Never mind, it just…” He stopped talking at the sheer amount of anger that was exuding from his alpha at this point. His eyes had gone dark with rage.

“They treated you badly…because you were mine?”

_That’s the first time he’s said that out loud…_

Morisuke noted before leaning back in his chair. “Yeah…but it’s not a big deal. After all, I’m never going back there, and those people didn’t matter in the first place.”

Lev clenched at the arm of his chair. “Still…how didn’t I see it? I should have taken care of it.”

Morisuke sighed. “Because they’d never do it when you were nearby. I never brought it up with you because I knew you’d get mad like this. I didn’t want you going into a rage over people like that. People who don’t matter. Besides, that’s not why I’m here.”

Lev exhaled slowly, trying to let the rage that had consumed his settle down. “Ok…fine. But if I see anyone who talked to you like that, I’m going to _kill_ them.”

Morisuke shook his head tiredly. “Now you say it…fair enough, I guess.”

Lev then titled his head to the side. “So, what did you actually want to talk about?”

Yaku sighed, already regretting the words he’d let fly without any forethought. “Ah, forget it. It’s not important.”

The son of the guild master didn’t seem convinced. “Whenever you say it’s not important, it’s especially important, Mori.”

Morisuke groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “You know what. I changed my mind. I hate you.”

“So you claim. Often. You know, saying you hate me is another good sign that it’s something important.”

“Shut up.”

“Uh-huh, _definitely_ important.” Lev hummed with an appraising look on his face.

Morisuke fixed him with an exhausted stare. “I just…don’t know where we stand yet, ok?”

Lev’s face instantly switched from smug cat to concerned. “Where we stand? I thought we talked about that already?”

Morisuke nodded. “Yeah, yeah, we _did_ , that’s why it’s not important, don’t worry about it.”

Lev sighed, raking a hand through his still partially wet hair. “You telling me not to worry makes me worry more!”

The alpha face was writ with concern to match that statement. “Please just tell me what’s wrong.”

Morisuke could feel his heart speeding up at the threat of confrontation before he shook his head rapidly and stood up, making for the door. “No, no, it really isn’t important. I’m just gonna go back over to the omegian gossip circle going on in Tetsu’s room and listen to all their…”

That was all he got out before he was swept off his feet, turned around and set back down away from the door.

“W-What are you doing!? Lev, let me go!” Morisuke insisted, swatting at the alpha’s arm.

Lev stood in front of him, his eyes uneasy, still gripping him by the arms. “I already let you go once, back then. I’m not letting you go again.”

Morisuke looked up at him with an exasperated expression. “You couldn’t have known.”

Lev nodded. “You’re right. And I can’t know now, either. So in my opinion, the best solution is to make sure everything is alright before you go.”

Morisuke didn’t seem to know quite how to respond to that. “I just…I’m scared of ruining your life any more than I already have.” 

_Dammit, dammit, dammit, why did I say that? Why did I say that!?_

Lev looked like he was about to get angry, yet as before, when Morisuke thought he had every right to be pissed, he just did the same thing.

The same thing that continued to piss _Morisuke_ off to no end.

He smiled, ever so lightly, and any anger that had been present faded from his eyes.

_Again._

“Well, …that’s not quite what I expected,” Lev said after a moment of consideration.

Morisuke glared up at him. “Why the hell are you smiling about this!? What happened when they stuck an alpha label on you, did they do it wrong? Get angry or _something!_ ”

Lev shrugged. “I don’t think it would help. If I thought it would…I’d show I’m angry, at least.”

Yaku crossed his arms. “You make no sense. I told you what’s wrong. I’m leaving.”

He stalked around Lev and made for the door again, only too, yet again, get scooped up and carried back into the room.

“LEV!” He screeched as he was dropped down onto the bed.

“I guess when you say ‘get angry’ you’re expecting me to get all rage-y and yell and throw stuff around, right?”

Yaku crossed his arms, pointedly looking away as Lev sat down onto the bed next to him. “Yeah, that’s kinda the definition.”

Lev’s eyes clouded a bit. “Just because I don’t act angry, doesn’t mean I’m not angry, Mori.”

Morisuke looked back up to him skeptically.“So…what you’re telling me is every time I’ve expected you to get pissed off, you have gotten pissed off, but instead of showing it you smile about it?”

Lev sighed, tucking his arms behind his head and laying back. “It’s easier than getting angry every time. If I’d done that, I’d be mad pretty often. That would be no fun.”

Morisuke scowled. “So you bottle it up instead?”

Emerald eyes rolled lazily down to look him in the face. “Yeah. Picked that trick up from you.”

Morisuke went a bit red in the face and scoffed. “I don’t always…”

“Uh-huh.”

“LET ME FINISH!”

Lev laughed. “It’s funny, you hide all your other emotions by getting angry, and I bury down my negative emotions by forcing positive ones. How’s that for opposites attracting?”

Yaku frowned at him. “I…have a hard time buying that. You got angry just a few minutes ago, didn’t you?”

Lev looked over to him, his eyes holding dark, heavy thoughts. “Because there’s nothing positive to see in someone hurting you. I’ll always get angry over that. But in how you always yell? Seeing that, I can smile because I know you show your affection awkwardly, you always have, as long as I’ve known you.”

“HEY!”

“See?”

Yaku seemed a hairs length from punching Lev in the face, but Lev could still find a way to laugh about it. “How you ran away? Of course, I was angry you didn’t come to me, or that you didn’t say goodbye, or didn’t try harder to stay. But you ran away because you were trying to keep Tetsurou-san and Kenma-san safe. Because you love them like brothers. How could I be angry at you for that?”

He sat up again, still smiling, and slouched a bit to be level with Morisuke’s face. “And in what you just said? I can smile about it because it’s not true. After all, how could you ruin my life in any way, when you care about me so much? So it got messy, that’s how it works when you…”

He drew his thumb across his throat again.

“…for a living.”

Morisuke stared at him with wide eyes.

“You…still didn’t say it…you…” He snorted because it wasn’t that funny.

It was just a silly running joke, it wasn’t anything special.

Yet he started laughing, covering his mouth with his hand in an attempt to hide it.

“That’s so _stupid_ , it’s not _funny_.” He insisted.

Lev grinned. “Then why are you laughing?”

The omega managed to stop laughing before he finally threw himself into Lev’s chest.

Pressing his ear to the man's bare skin, he could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady. “Thanks. I’m less worried now.”

Lev hugged him back. “I’m glad.”

Morisuke leaned back from him, and Lev could see his face looked a lot brighter than it had been when he’d first come in.

“So…you always just assume that when I get angry it’s affectionate?” Morisuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lev put a hand up. “I never said ‘always’, I just know the difference between ‘actually angry’ Mori and ‘angry because he’s flustered’ Mori.”

The auburn haired man smirked. “Yeah, typically I’d yell at you for that.”

“See? I know you.” Lev seemed rather pleased with himself.

“I guess you do. Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Lev’s face made an extremely quick shift from pale white to redden cheeks.

“You…uh…”

Morisuke titled his head to the side, smiling. “Guess you don’t know everything I’m about to do, huh?”

The younger was transfixed by that smile and didn’t think twice before kissing him.

After he’d leaned away, Morisuke let out a soft ‘oh’ sound.

“I love you too,” Lev said.

And, well, after that, words weren’t really necessary.

 

 

**_Kuroo’s Bedchamber._ **

 

 

“So we really don’t get to make any innuendos when Mori-chan gets back?” Tooru asked with a whiny voice.

Keiji shook his head firmly. “Are you trying to get him to murder you? Besides, if we do that it would dissuade him from spending the night with Lev in the future.”

Kuroo sighed. “Speaking of future, we’re still here for another three weeks, so…”

“Bitch, you think we’re leaving anytime soon?” Suguru demanded.

“Hell no. We’ve been running around like this for two years, if you’re the god damn princess, we’re mooching off your splendor as long as possible, so make room.” Tooru replied, stretching out across the center of the bed like a contented cat.

Tetsurou couldn’t help but smile at that. “You know, I don’t think I’d mind.”

His smile turned to a mischievous smirk. “Because I’d get to see all you losers dressed to noble standard, and nothing would make me happier than watching Suguru clinging onto Teru’s arm because he can’t walk in a layered petticoat without falling on his face.”

Suguru let out an exaggerated gasp. “HOW DARE YOU!? I’M ELEGANT!”

“As an elephant.” Kenma commented.

“KENMA!” Suguru roared, eye twitching.

Kenma raised an eyebrow. “You’re not _that_ much shorter than Kuroo, you guys used to share clothes before. Feel like proving it?”

Kuroo’s face split into an evil grin. “Oh, I’ve got dozens of ridiculous dresses packed.”

Tooru sat up straighter. “And what was it you said? We’ve got _allll_ night.”

Suguru gave a forced laugh. “Ha, well, you know, how about we just forget it for now…?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“GET HIM!” Tooru shouted, pouncing from the bed.

“GET AWAY FROM MEEEE!” Suguru leaped to his feet and shot out the door.

Tooru’s smile was huge. “Tetsu-chan, grab the worst, puffiest, gaudiest outfit you’ve got.”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow.  “It’d take three people just to _carry_ that one.”

“Sounds fun,” Keiji commented, a glimmer of mirth touching his eye.

Yachi scratched the back of her head. “We really shouldn’t bully Suguru-san…but this does seem pretty exciting.”

Kenma sighed, standing up. “The target is escaping.”

Tooru snorted. “Well, we’ll just have to catch him, won’t we?”

Hitoka laughed, putting up two fingers, making a C shape with her hand, and then three fingers, and several other gestures on top of that.

“Oooooh, the genius, the forethought, the tactics, the strategy!” Kuroo crowed as he rooted through one of several trunks that he’d been forced to pack by Suga.

Well, servants had packed it, it was more like Suga had insisted they pack this much for him.

He produced a horribly frilly golden petticoat, with fitting around the knees that made it a particular nightmare to walk in. There was a reason Tetsurou himself had only worn it once for half a day before discarding it.

“What _is_ this?” Keiji had pulled an awful mossy green corset from the trunk.

“ _That_ is just Sugu-chan’s color, wouldn’t you agree?” Tooru replied breezily.

Ten minutes saw them roaring down the halls of the mansion, having since outed Suguru as having hidden in the reception room, chasing him up and down the halls with petticoats, corsets, top skirts, top shirts, vests and more in hand.

“LEAVE ME ALONE YOU ASSHOLES!” Suguru screamed as he ran past several sets of double doors and turned a corner up ahead.

“He’s headed for a dead end,” Kenma reported.

“We got him now!” Tooru cried.

So they all went rushing around the corner, and just then one of the double doors swung open.

Lev poked his head out, looking up and down the hallway.

_Don’t they realize people are trying to sleep? At least they’re having fun…at Suguru-san’s expense._

He pulled back into his room and shut the door behind him, walking back over to the bed.

Morisuke had already fallen asleep, the large blanket and fluffy pillow dwarfing him.

Lev’s heart almost couldn’t take how adorable he was.

_He always could sleep through anything…_

The towering alpha climbed back into bed, pulling the covers over himself and settling down.

He just laid there, watching Yaku breath for a minute or two, before letting his own eyes fall shut.

_Ruin my life…that’s so stupid._

He edged a bit closer and put an arm over Morisuke.

_He could never ruin it, after all, it’s him I live for in the first place._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise we'll get back to the TsukkiKuroo soon but c'mon we all wanted to see Lev and Mori reconnect right? Right? Just me? Ok...anywho! Next up we'll be tying together another little side pairing I've been hinting at, and then back on the TsukkiKuroo train! HOORAY! So...please drop a comment down below, they help Suguru escape proper omegian undergarments, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	34. If I May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is it that obvious?”
> 
> “Painfully."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The SECOND side pairing I've been beating with a stick since 2017 is making the rounds! I'm sure plenty of you caught onto the hints, and after this, we'll be going back over to TsukkiKuroo! :D Please enjoy!

**_The Next Morning._ **

 

 

Tetsurou felt himself rising from sleep before he was even totally awake again.

He felt sluggish, like he’d gotten far to little sleep, but his mind was insisting it was time to wake up anyway.

He kept his eyes firmly shut, trying to return to sleep.

He’d been having such a good dream, after all.

All his friends had been there.

The old ones, the new ones, _everyone._

It had been so very nice.

Something was tickling his nose, though, and before he could even try to hold it in he sneezed.

This dragged him fully awake abruptly. His eyes shot open, only to see a puff of blonde hair poking up from next to him.

It wasn’t Kenma, though, there were no black roots.

The previous day's events came rushing back to mind in an instant.

For lying curled into an impossibly small ball at his side was Hitoka. He felt arms around his midsection and straining his neck he could see Tooru was cuddled up to him from behind. Suguru was passed out near the foot of the bed, while Kenma and Keiji were occupying the other side of the bed, sharing half the duvet.

Kuroo let his head drop slowly back onto his pillow in disbelief.

_Oh yeah. That wasn’t a dream. They’re really here…_

He gently brushed Hitoka’s side ponytail away from his face, since that was what had tickled his nose.

He let his arm drop over her shoulders, taking in the fact that his hand really did settle on the rough fabric of her nightgown, one much lower quality than the silk he’d grown accustomed to in the palace

He let his thumb travel in a slow circle on the fabric, taking in the way it felt slightly itchy against the pad, his eyes drifting shut again.

_She’s real._

It was, even now, with Hitoka under his arm, and Tooru cuddled up to him from behind, surreal.

This was something he had thought for so long he didn’t deserve.

The good fortune of his name appearing out of that the  _The Bag_ had come at the expense of never seeing the family he’d grown up with again. Living with the guilt of tearing one of his oldest friends from the man he loved, the knowledge things could have gone so differently, if even one decision had been ever so slightly changed.

Wondering if they were angry with him, that they’d never forgive him for the sin he’d committed that had ripped their beloved little pack apart.

Yet here he was.

And here _they_ were.

_The alphas are all probably out cold in their rooms…and…_

He sighed.

_Well, here’s hoping Morisuke went to him. So there’s that._

He was content to lay there for a good deal longer, familiar scents having surrounded him, reminding him of cold nights spent curled up in their wagon, all twelve of them huddled together in between jobs to conserve warmth.

What woke him was Tooru stirring from behind, the brunette having let go of him and rolled over. He stifled a yawn as he woke up, chocolate brown eyes drunk with sleep.

“Hey,” Tetsurou whispered, careful not to be too loud.

Tooru looked down to him, a soft smile crossing his lips.

“Oh, great, so it wasn’t a dream.” He hummed, patting Tetsurou on the arm before flopping back onto the pillows again.

“Nope,” Kuroo replied.

Tooru looked towards the window when his face split into a grin.

“Tetsu-chan, look!” He whisper-screamed, pointing excitedly.

“What?” Kuroo propped himself up on his elbows so he could see out the window.

White coated treetops met his gaze.

“Is that…”

Tooru shook his fists giddily. “Snow! It snowed last night!”

“It what last night?” Suguru groaned from the foot of the bed, lifted his head.

Kuroo snorted. “Snowed. Also, you couldn’t get that thing off?”

Sure enough, the poor omega was still stuck in a puffy petticoat.

Suguru narrowed his eyes with a murderous expression. “ _No_ , thank you very much!”

Before any more could be said, the door slammed open, knob bouncing off the wall and causing a loud _bang_ noise.

Hitoka let out a wail, jumping a foot off the bed at the noise, while Kenma and Keiji’s eyes both shot open.

“GUYS! IT SNOWED!” Teru was in the doorway, already fully dressed.

“Don’t you know you shouldn’t come flying in here unannounced? What if one of us was changing? We’re all still in our PJs!” Tooru demanded furiously, pulling the duvet up to cover himself, considering he was only wearing his undershirt from the previous day.

The alpha scoffed. “We’ve seen each other naked before, Tooru-san.”

“DON’T SAY IT THAT WAY! WHEN WE WERE UNPRESENTED DOESN’T COUNT!” Oikawa shrieked.

Teru rushed up to the foot of the bed, hopping up and down like an excited child. “C’mon, c'mon, let’s go outside! Let’s go! It never snowed back home!”

Suguru looked up to him in irritation. “Home like Johzenji? Or home like Nekoma?”

“Both!” Teru replied before a confused look crossed his face.

“Babe, what is that thing on your legs?”

“GET OUT!” Suguru shouted, pointing at the door.

Hitoka laughed. “So you really couldn’t get it off, huh?”

“Hitoka, how could you betray me like this!?”

The petite blonde shrugged. “It _was_ pretty funny.”

“TRAITOR!” The older omega yelled dramatically.

Teru snickered. “So that’s why you were running around screaming last night?”

Suguru gasped. “You heard all that and you didn’t come to save me? Some alpha you are!”

Yuuji stuck his pierced tongue out. “You weren’t gonna get hurt by a weird skirt, Suguru.”

“WEIRD SKIRT MY ASS!”

“Yes, it is on your ass. Your very nice ass. Stuck on it, actually.” Teru replied without missing a beat.

“GET THE HELL OUT!” Suguru roared, flailing his arms in his mate's direction.

Kuroo dragged himself out of bed. “Seriously, Teru, just go get the others up. We’ll get dressed and meet you in the reception room. Find a servant around and ask them to start on breakfast, ok? Say I sent you.”

“On it!” The alpha saluted before he went running back out of the room again.

Suguru watched him go tiredly.

“Why did he listen to you?” The snake demanded, looking over his shoulder.

Kuroo shrugged. “I dunno. He probably just likes to annoy you.”

Kenma stood up. “Well, I’m going to mine and Morisuke’s room to get dressed. I’ll see you guys later.”

With that, he shuffled out of the room.

Kuroo stretched his arms over his head, and the next few minutes were filled with them emerging from the large bed and trying to sort out where each of the visiting omegas bags were.

That was when there was a knock on the door.

Kuroo let out a long groan.

“What?” Tooru asked, glancing between him and the door.

Tetsurou plastered a prim-looking smile across his face.

“ _This_ is what princesses have to deal with.” He hissed, before turning his head to the door.

“Enter!” He called.

That was when eight omegian maids made their way inside, they all bowed as they entered.

“Good morning, your Highness.”

Tetsurou furrowed his brow. “Good morning, but, um…why are there so many of you? Typically there’s only two.”

The maid at the head, a female omega with cute little brown pigtails tied with blue ribbon, straightened up with a smile on her face.

“Your guests will require assistance as well, won’t they? The head maid sent all of us to ensure they were taken care of as well, sir.”

Kuroo frowned, looking between the motley crew of half-dressed omegas behind him and then the maids again.

“Well, that’s very kind of you, and I appreciate the head maids thoughtfulness. However, they will be well off on their own. Be sure to give her my thanks, though.”

“But your Highness, it would be most inhospitable of us not offer servants to assist the omegas of the visiting group if they did not bring their own.” Another maid argued.

Kuroo pressed his lips together thinly but kept up the veil of a smile.

“Again, while I appreciate your thoughtfulness, the reason they brought no servants is that they have none. They are my friends from before I immigrated to Karasuno when I was quite poor. Similarly, their choice of dress does not require them to have any assistants while getting ready. I will require some help, but that is all.”

“Your Highness, we insist that we…”

As this extremely polite argument over hospitality continued back and forth, Kuroo clearly getting increasingly annoyed at the persistence of these maids, Oikawa’s eyes darted to Keiji.

“What the hell?” He mouthed, eyes filled with confusion.

The younger omega shrugged, still holding onto the waistband of the leggings he’d only half pulled up, having frozen when the servants had entered.

However, it seemed that Kuroo was caving.

“Fine, if you insist on doing so, then please offer them any assistance you wish.” He grumbled.

The maids were upon them in an instant.

“Ma’am, would you like me to assist you in doing your hair? I can do pigtails, plaits, braided buns, top buns, whatever you desire.” A male omega with a high ponytail of hair had moved to Hitoka’s side, producing a hairbrush and hair ties from what seemed like thin air.

“I-I-I…” Hitoka squeaked, looking intimidated, her eyes flitting to Kuroo.

The raven-haired omega was already getting laced into a corset at this point, which Suguru would likely have found hysterical if not for how he was being helped into his top shirt by another maid.

Kuroo met her gaze and simply nodded at her, his expression telling.

_Just let them do whatever._

Was what it seemed like he was trying to say.

Hitoka then looked back up to the maid.

“Ok. Well, in that case, I don’t think I’ve ever had my hair in a braided bun before. Though it’s probably too short, so just pigtails would be great. Thank you!”

The maid gave a short bow and smiled pleasantly.“It is my pleasure, ma’am.”

Tetsurou then directed his attention to the maid who’d spoken as the head of the group, with the cute brown pigtails. “Have you seen Morisuke around this morning?”

The maid looked to him with a genuine smile on her face. “Yes, your Highness. He spent the night with one of the visiting alphas. They awoke about an hour and a half ago. They ate breakfast and went outside if I remember correctly. Though, I don’t know where they are presently.”

Kuroo nodded, seeming pleased with this, and was about to let the conversation end when the maid spoke again.

“If I may, Yaku-san looked happier than I can ever remember seeing him. He was laughing very often and smiling the entire time. I don’t remember ever seeing him like that.”

Tooru gave a happy shout. “Hell yeah! I always believed in the big guy!”

Suguru smiled. “So Lev pulled it off?”

Hitoka giggled. “Knowing Morisuke-san, it was probably more like ‘you behemoth idiot!’ ‘but Moooooori I looooove you!’ ‘but you shouldn’t!’ ‘but I DOOOOO’ ‘ok ok FINE I love you too!’ Or something like that, right?”

She did impressions of the people's voices as she went, and all of them laughed at her voices.

Suguru awkwardly lifted a foot as one of the maids began lacing his boots for him.

“Is it always like this?” He asked Kuroo, looking between the maid kneeling before him and his old friend.

The taller omega simply rolled his eyes. “Being a princess isn’t all glamour.”

 

 

**_With Kenma._ **

 

 

As the artificial blonde made his way down the hall, having since gotten dressed in his and Morisuke’s shared room, he idly tucked his mittened hands into his long backed red coats pockets.

_Where’d my mask get to…_

He pondered, before finally fishing it out of his pocket. He stretched the red material over his face and hooked the loops behind his ears.

When he made it to the front hall, he pushed the front door open, quite a grand double-doored entrance it was, the doors were pulled the rest of the way open by the two guards stations on either side.

Both of them bowed to him as he headed down the stairs and into the snow.

Kicking his way through, he felt a small smile creep onto his face under his mask.

_I haven’t seen snow since we went to Fukurodani years ago…_

He thought to himself, crouching down and scooping some of the snow off the ground in his hand, packing it together into a snowball.

He tossed it back and forth between his hands as he continued walking, leaving a trail of the slight drag of his petticoats and his bootprints behind.

 

 

 

**_Tsukishima’s Chambers._ **

 

 

“Tadashi.”

Yamaguchi, who’d been watching Kenma out the window, jumped violently and pulled away from the window as if he’d been doing something wrong.

“T-Tsukki, hey! Good morning!”

The prince raised an eyebrow at him as he slid his glasses onto his face. “Is something the matter? You’ve been jumpy since we got here.”

The royal assistant put his hands up, waving them to dissuade what his friend had said. “No, no, I’m fine. Really.”

Kei crossed his arms across his chest. “Of course. So why don’t you tell me what you’ve been hiding in your pocket the entire trip?”

Sure enough, the freckle-faced alpha immediately put a hand to his vest pocket, his face turning down awkwardly. “I…uh…”

Tsukki sighed. “Tadashi, you can talk to me. I won’t tell anyone. Besides…”

He leaned to the side slightly in order to see Kenma, who was still playing around in the snow. “…I think I have an idea what's bothering you.”

The brunette wilted. “Is it that obvious?”

“ _Painfully_. You’re extremely lucky Kenma-san hasn’t picked up on it yet. Then again, perhaps he has and just hasn’t mentioned it. That wouldn’t surprise me.”

Tadashi groaned, planting a hand to his forehead. “I just…with you and Tetsurou-san spending so much time together lately, I’ve been with Kenma-san a lot just by association and…I _really_ like him. He’s just…so caring and smart and funny and…I dunno! You’re lucky, all you had to do was have a name pulled out of a bag!”

Tsukki rolled his eyes. “Alright, I can accept that. Well…while I can’t guarantee anything, I have noticed that Kenma-san seems to enjoy spending time with you. I think it’s certainly worth asking. For all you know, he wants to be yours as well.”

Yamaguchi sputtered for a moment at this phrasing.

_My omega…_

Ah, what a thought.

Yamaguchi shook his head violently before throwing his arms up.“No, I can’t now! His old friends who he missed for years because of…well, whatever it was that happened to them, are here! I can’t just propose out of the blue now! It’d just be too much!”

Kei hummed, nodding. He then put a finger to his chin. “That is true…well, why not just wait until we get back to the palace?”

Tadashi sighed. “Well, because…we don’t know what they’ll do, right? I mean, Morisuke-san’s court mate is with that group and…what are they going to do after this is over? Go back home? I know Tetsurou-san kind of _has_ to stay but there’s nothing holding Kenma-san here. What if…he decides to go home?”

Tsukishima was about to speak, thinking to the story Tetsurou had spun for him.

The story which made it very clear none of them would be welcome home.

However, he bit his tongue, because even if he trusted Tadashi with his life, he didn't want to reveal he knew the truth. That would only open up the door to more difficulty keeping the secret in the future.

_And besides that...Tetsurou trusted me to keep that secret. The secret that weighs him down everywhere he goes, or at least, has done so for years now. He trusted me with that. Even if I trust Tadashi, I won't break that promise. I won't tell anyone._

Instead, he elected for a different approach.

“You know how dear Tetsurou is to Kenma-san. I doubt he’s going anywhere.”

Tadashi shook his head. “Still! I just…I…”

Kei stepped forward and put a hand supportively, albeit awkwardly, on Tadashi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about his friends, or where he’s going, or what’s going to happen later. Just go out there, hang around with him as you typically do, and see how you feel. After all, wanting to court him is wanting to be with him. So go…be with him. See how it goes.”

Tadashi’s face filled with a sort of nervous determination.

Naturally, he’d be able to pull off such a look.

“You’re right! I need to go, then! Thanks, Tsukki!”

With this, the young alpha fled the room, seizing his coat from the rack by the door on his way out.

_Kenma-san…I swear I’ll find some way to impress you…some way to ask you...if I may…_

With that, he went rushing for the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! Please drop a comment down below, they help Kenma stay warm while he plays in the snow, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	35. A Wonderful Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stupid crows.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get back here, I was a bit starved for inspiration...but getting sick apparently helps everything!  
> ...I'm sick...so I sat my butt down and wrote this because I had no more excuses since I just spent all day on my laptop binge watching Code Geass.  
> ;-; this is how it ends ;-;   
> ANYWAY  
> Here is the next chapter! Please enjoy~

Yamaguchi rushed out the door and down the stairs, wrestling his coat on as he went. He arrived at the front entry, tapping his foot as the guards opened the doors and bowed him out. He pulled his orange face mask from his pocket and put it on, pulling the loops back over his ears.

He made his way down the cobbled paths that crisscrossed the garden, a flurry having just started up. The cloudy sky letting loose fluffy little snowflakes to flutter gently down to the nobles and guests who were at the manor.

Yamaguchi made his way around the side of the manor to see Kenma underneath a tree, rolling a snowball across the planks of a bench to pick up the snow there.

As he was doing so, there was suddenly a commotion from the branches above him.Six jet black crows all took off in a blur of motion, shaking the snow that had accumulated overnight from the branches.

The snow which went tumbling down right onto the omega beneath them.

“Ack!” The long-haired man cried out, shaking his arms at how the snow went falling down the back of his shirt.

Tadashi was more distracted by the crows.

Six.

_Really?_

His fingers closed around the item in his pocket once more, before his attention was drawn back to Kenma, who was quick to strip off his coat and shake it out, and Yamaguchi could see him starting to shiver.

“Kenma-san!” He exclaimed without thought, hurrying up behind him.

“Huh…? Oh, hey.” Kenma greeted, his face flushed pink from the cold.

The shorter of the two then began squirming.

“Ugh…it got all down my shirt.” He grumbled.

Tadashi offered his arm. “Do you want to go inside and warm up, then?”

Kenma looked back at the half-finished snowball on the bench before pouting. “I guess…”

Yamaguchi smiled at him. “Don’t worry. With weather like this, I doubt it’ll melt for another few weeks, much less by this afternoon. We can come out again later.”

“Ok.” Kenma agreed finally, looping a hand around the alphas offered arm.

So they headed inside, Tadashi waving down a servant to bring them some tea.

They wound up in one of the reception rooms, where Kenma had untucked his top shirt, shaking the back of it. Snow went tumbling down, and he rolled his shoulders in irritation.

“Stupid crows.”

Yamaguchi laughed. “Don’t be too angry, ok? I’m sure they didn’t mean it.”

The older looked back to him with an amused expression as he tucked his shirt back in again.

“I wasn’t assuming the crows were trying to get me covered in snow.” He commented as he rolled back his sleeves next.

“It’s even up here!” He exclaimed, now seeming to find more mirth in the situation as he shook his arms, snow indeed even falling out of the now folded back fabric.

Tadashi laughed again, a smile on his face.

“Did you get dirt on you, as well? You’ve got some smudges on your arm.”

Kenma seemed confused, lifting his right forearm to his face.

“I don’t see anything.” He replied, inspecting his left arm as well.

Tadashi took a step forward. “Sure there is, right there.” He gestured at the mark on the back of Kenma’s forearm, before realizing that it certainly wasn’t dirt.

He felt his breath hitch when he realized what he was actually seeing and backed away a bit. “O-Oh, sorry, I didn’t…”

Kenma seemed to understand what he’d thought the scars were and shrugged.

“It’s ok. No big deal.” He hummed nonchalantly as he folded back down his sleeves, having since been able to extract all the snow from his clothes.

Yamaguchi swallowed. “Oh…that’s all?”

Kenma looked back to him with a small smile. “That’s all.”

Tadashi didn’t seem to know what to say after this. He’d been able to tell that the scars stretched past just the forearm.

Luckily for him, the tea arrived at that moment, and they sat down together to drink.

The conversation finally began to move, and Yamaguchi was able to find a topic in those friends who had arrived so suddenly.

“…and then there’s Teru, he’s a lot. He’s always been really loud. I remember when we were kids I used to hate being around him because he was always so spastic and excitable.”

Yamaguchi laughed. “I can almost imagine a little Kenma-san trying to get away from someone as loud as this guy sounds.”

Kenma hummed, his fingers wrapped around the large mug of tea he was holding.

“I didn’t realize we even had mugs. We always have to use little cups at the palace.” He commented.

Yamaguchi shrugged, leaning back in his chair as he held his own mug of tea.“I suppose they’re using these because it’s so cold out. Besides, out here on vacation, we haven’t got to worry about impressing anyone, right?”

Kenma gave that slight smile of his. “Unless you’re worried about my street rat friends? Not really.”

Tadashi’s face sobered up a bit.

“So…by street rat, what do you mean?”

Kenma shrugged. “All of us except Lev are orphans, and Lev’s relationship with his Dad is…well..”

Kenma make air quotes with one hand. “… _’strained’_ at best.”

Tadashi winced. “So you really were all on your own, huh?”

The omega gazed down into his tea, thinking back on years of fond memories.

Illegal, criminal, bloodstained as they were, they were fond years indeed.

So he opened his mouth and spoke with confidence. “It was alright. We were still happy.”

Yamaguchi’s hand slipped into his vest pocket again, just for a moment, before he spoke, heart in his throat. “Kenma-san…have you ever courted before?”

The long-haired omega looked up at him in surprise at this rather sudden change of conversation. “Well…no. Never met anyone who interested me.”

Tadashi could feel his mouth going dry, nerves plucking up and down his heartstrings.“Then…would you maybe…”

He produced the brown bracelet box he’d been carrying for the entire trip, and for a deal of time beforehand. “…court me?”

Kenma’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open slightly. Despite the random topic change having been a warning, he still hadn’t seen this coming.

His fingers seemed to be stuck, still clutching the warmth of his mug of tea.

“I…” His voice lost steam after only this one syllable.

Yamaguchi bit his bottom lip before speaking again. “I know it seems strange but…after you arrived, we’ve spent so much time together. In the library, during Tetsurou-san’s lessons, while Tsukki and he were stuck in meetings. All those times when I got to talk to you, or just be with you, I started to really like you. You’re so different than the omegas I’ve always been around and…I started wanting to see you more, wanting to know you better, anything. I know it’s crazy but…I started hoping that maybe you’d like me too.”

Kenma gently leaned forward, setting his mug down on the table between them, before he reached forward, his fingers closing around the box.

“That…would be true.” He said quietly.

Yamaguchi’s face filled with that same hope he’d just been speaking of. “So you…?”

“Yeah. I accept.” He tugged the box out of the alphas hands and brought it towards himself, setting it in his lap. He then reached out and clasped Tadashi’s hand.

“You never were pushy, and you always tried to talk about things I was comfortable with. You didn’t get bored with me when I didn’t feel like talking. You let things be quiet, and I like that. I like you.”

Tadashi smiled widely, his chest swelling as he took in the breath he’d been holding while Kenma was speaking.

“I’m so glad! I…uh…but…” He trailed off, eyes darting to the side.

“Are you…thinking of going home?”

Kenma tilted his head to the side, confused.“Well, of course. We’re going back at the end of the month, right?”

Yamaguchi stuttered. “No that’s not…I mean you…your friends? They came to bring you home, right?”

Kenma eyes went a little shadowy, an expression Yamaguchi recognized from talking about any other aspect of Kenma’s past. “No. They ran away to find us because we left for our safety. People…I don’t…”

Kenma sighed, pulling his hand away and dropping his head into his palm. “…the reason we left was that there was an accident. Something bad happened and…if we had stayed, we’d have been in big trouble.”

Yamaguchi seemed confused. “But that means your friends can’t go home, too?”

Kenma shook his head. “They can’t, because they took our side. The people where we’re from have exiled them at this point.”

Tadashi didn’t get it. It didn’t make any sense. What error could one make that would completely ostracize them and everyone associated with them from the entire town?

“I don’t…if you’re going to court me, you need to know. Though…you can’t tell anyone.”

Kenma met his eyes, seeming apprehensive. “I _mean_ it.”

It was the most force Tadashi had ever heard him put behind any words.

Yamaguchi steeled his gaze in response. “I won’t. I swear.”

Kenma’s eyes were sad as he reached to his left arm and rolled back his sleeve.

“These.” He gestured to the pale remains of the gashes that had once been inflicted onto his arm.

Tadashi swallowed, now with more than a small glimpse, he could see the extent of how the damage must have been. These deep slashes than ran up and down his newfound court mates arm weren’t accidental. They looked like he’d been blocking a blade with nothing but his bare skin.

“Y-Yeah?”

Kenma lowered his hand, leaving his sleeve rolled up, leaving the scars on full display.“I got them when an alpha assaulted me with a knife.”

His eyes were filling with those shadows. Those dark, painful memories, flashbacks of fear and agony clouding the lantern-like golden orbs.

“…Kuroo happened to find me. Morisuke was with him. They rushed into the room. Morisuke tried to stop me from bleeding…I had a cut really close to my neck. It was dangerous. A few more inches…a few more minutes…anything different at all…”

He fiddled with the box in his lap, not sure what else to do. “…and I would have died. But I didn’t. Kuroo fought that alpha. I passed out. From what they told me, they fought for a while. Then the alpha pinned Kuroo down, but Kuroo managed to kick him in the stomach. Flipped him over, trying to get him off, to throw him up towards the wall. Kuroo’s pretty strong, you know? Especially when he’s running off adrenaline.”

Yamaguchi nodded dumbly, not sure how else to respond.

Kenma eyes stayed pinned to the cooling mug of tea on the table, not wanting to move anywhere else. “Kuroo was strong enough to throw the alpha over him. But where they’d fallen, they were right under a window. We were on the third floor of our old guild hall…that alpha…flew out…out the window. He…died.”

Yamaguchi’s mouth fell open slightly.

Kenma ran his right hand up and down his left forearm.“Kuroo killed him. He didn’t mean too. He was only trying to protect me. But he did.That alpha was a senior guild member. He was a really influential man. We would have been killed if we’d stayed in town. Because of our guild…”

He searched for the right words.“Let’s just say…out work wasn’t legal. We did some bad things. I did some bad things. We did crime for pay because it was the only option. The law wouldn’t help us since we were on the wrong side of it, to begin with. So we ran away. Our friends came after us. They took our side. The side of the murderers. They can’t go back. We can’t go back.”

He was leaving out so much.

So much about how it wasn’t the first life Kuroo had taken, why they couldn’t have pleaded their case, why their friends were unable to go home, even though they were guilty of nothing more than association.

Only the vaguest hint into how far astray of the law they really were.

Yet, it wasn’t like Tadashi was about to press.

“So…that’s why Tetsurou-san doesn’t like to talk about why you left.” Out of all things, this was the first thing Tadashi could manage to say.

Kenma nodded without any further comment, his fingers closing around the box in his lap.

Tadashi put a hand to his chest. “Thank you. For trusting me with that. I won’t tell anyone, not even Tsukki.”

Kenma waved a hand. “Actually, he already knows. Kuroo had to tell him when everyone started showing up.”

Yamaguchi looked relieved. “Good. I’m not good at keeping secrets from him. He sees right through people.”

Kenma nodded before standing up, rolling down his left sleeve as he did so. His scars disappeared back under the fabric.

He was still holding the box in one hand.

Yamaguchi jumped to his feet as well. “Please, open it!”

So Kenma did, the lid of the box opened off the stiff hinge, and he found himself gazing down at a golden bracelet with a small charm hanging from it. This charm being the face a dragon, with two onyx insets as eyes.

Tadashi hesitated. “I just thought…the dragon reminded me a little bit of you.”

Kenma looked between the pendant and the alpha before him before he gave a soft chuckle. “Me? A dragon?”

Yamaguchi put a hand up. “I just…I just…you…”

He couldn’t seem to figure out how to explain it. “It’s…you’re different. You’re confident, even if you’re quiet, and despite all that's happened to you, you’re so strong. I didn’t know anything about the scars or the assault, but…knowing that only makes me feel that even more! You didn’t give up. Or let it hold you back. You kept being you. I really admire that. It’s more than I could have done, in your situation.”

Kenma felt a small smile quirk his lips.

_…strong?_

That word had certainly been coming up a lot in regards to him.

So much so he was beginning to think it might be true.

That just maybe, possibly, he was as strong as everyone believed he was.

What was the harm in that?

He undid the clasp and fastened the chain around his left wrist.“I like it. Thank you.”

Yamaguchi seemed like any second now his chest would explode from joy, a gleeful smile on his face.

“That’s great! I…um…”

He’d done it.

They were courting.

Now what?

Kenma glanced over his shoulder, back out the window.

He could see Tooru chasing after Suguru in the snow, a snowball in hand. Kuroo went flying into view a moment later with Hitoka slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Kiyoko in pursuit trying to rescue her omega from the soon-to-be princess. Bokuto did a face plant into a snowdrift moments after that, with a concerned Keiji hurrying up behind him, grabbing him by the ankles, and trying to pull him out. Teru rushed past, Iwaizumi on his tail. Iwaizumi who had his head covered in snow, fury writ across his face.

He looked back up to Yamaguchi.

“I’ll introduce you.” He offered. 

“I met them just yesterday, though?” Tadashi said.

Kenma walked up to him and took his hand. “As my court mate, I meant.”

Tadashi went several shades pale at the thought of how Kenma’s childhood friends could react, before laughing awkwardly. “That’s ok…we don’t…”

“Yes, we do. C’mon.” Kenma towed him towards the door, grabbing his jacket on the way out.

So Yamaguchi was assaulted with snowballs by several alphas who were rather protective of Kenma.

And several omegas to boot.

That didn’t matter, though, because they were congratulating Kenma at the same time.

It seemed a bit unfair, but he supposed he should have expected it.

After all, later that afternoon he saw Kenma chucking snowballs at an unsuspecting Tooru’s back, a mischievous smile on his face as he did so.

Yamaguchi could see that little glimmer of gold from Kenma’s left wrist as he turned tail and ran for it after Tooru had exploded at him.

The little dragon pendant dangled there.

Tadashi thought back to when he’d been going to see the older man before proposing.

_Those crows really did help me out…_

He shook his head in disbelief.

_There were six of them…_ **_six for gold_ ** _. For the golden bracelet I got for him. They knew, and they helped me out. Of course, they didn’t actually. They’re just birds, they had no idea what they were doing, but still, unbelievable._

A golden bracelet, a newfound courtship, a secret entrusted, and an afternoon of fun in the snow were relegated to history as the news was broken at dinner.

Kenma proudly showed off his new jewelry, and Yamaguchi proudly held hands with his omega under the table.

_My omega…_

Ah, what a thought.

What a wonderful thought that had at last shaped itself into reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi and Kenma get their happily ever after at last! Hooray! Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Tadashi survive the assault of Kenma's childhood friends, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	36. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “WHAT THE HELL, BRO!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little snippet with Kuroo and Bokuto just for funsies ^-^   
> Please enjoy!

**_The Next Day._ **

 

 

“So what’s up? Why’d you drag me out here?” Kuroo questioned.

Bokuto shrugged. “I haven’t gotten to talk to you much since we got here. Just wanted to hear what’s been happening from you.”

Tetsurou scoffed, walking beside his self-proclaimed sorta-kinda-not-brother but close enough to count. “Shoot straight, bro, you’re no good at skirting around stuff. You want to know about Kei, right?”

Koutarou’s face flushed and he turned his nose up. “So what if I do?”

Tetsurou laughed. “Of course. Seriously, even if the whole thing is just some crazy stroke of luck, I’m fine with it. So you don’t have to worry, alright?”

Koutarou pouted. “I’m still grumpy I didn’t get to try and scare him off.”

“If you’d done that I wouldn’t be here, would I?” Kuroo replied.

Bokuto stomped a foot. “Still! That’s what I’m supposed to do! I don’t trust anyone with my bro, got it?”

Tetsurou rolled his eyes. “I appreciate it, but try and tone down the protectiveness just a tick, yeah? I don’t need you pounding Kei into the ground. After all, he couldn’t last three seconds with you. You’re a mountain of muscle and he’s a fairly well-built stick.”

The white-haired man puffed his chest proudly. “Yeah! So if he ever does anything to hurt you, he’d better be on guard.”

“Koutarou, don’t kill the prince of the richest nation on the planet. Bad idea.”

“Good idea if he hurts you. I have the skill set.”

“I know you have the damn skill set, and you need to chill out. He hasn’t hurt me or anyone.”

“Yet,” Bokuto replied snippily.

Kuroo rolled his eyes. “You’re too much.”

Koutarou heaved a sigh before slinging an arm around Tetsurou’s shoulder, ignoring the grumbling protests he received. “C’mon…for all I knew you were dead in a ditch somewhere, and now I find out you’re courting a prince. Cut me some slack.”

Kuroo didn’t have anything to say to that.

What was there to say?

He had left without a word, and truly, his friends who’d been tracking him had had no way of finding out if he had even survived thus far.

Sure, at this point he was less surviving and more thriving, but how could they have known?

Kuroo bit his lip.

_Looked at any damn newspaper in the entirety of Karasuno…but whatever, that probably didn’t even cross their minds…_

Tetsurou sighed, looping an arm in with Bokuto’s elbow. “How are you and Akaashi, huh? I know you got mated a while back, but I only just found out!”

Koutarou smiled softly, far more so than any brashness typically found on his face. “I still can’t believe it, sometimes…wait…”

He snapped his eyes back to Kuroo with horror on his face. “Do you have to get mated to that stick prince!?”

Tetsurou snorted. “Um…yeah, eventually. I think we’re doing it my summer heat, as far as I know.”

“WAIT BUT THAT’S NOT EVEN A YEAR OF COURTSHIP!” The horn haired alpha cried, shaking his friend as if this would make him realize the situation.

Tetsurou let himself be shaken around while laughing. “Not my idea. We’ve got to tie the knot by the Coronation Ball next Autumn, which is where I’ll be making my royal debut.”

Bokuto was back to pouting. “I don’t like it. I want you to be sure. They can’t just force you into this.”

“Bro, I could be getting forced into a lot worse things.”

“SO IT _IS_ BY FORCE!”

“Kou, calm down, that’s not what I meant.” Tetsurou latched onto his arm, meeting his eyes insistently.

“I’m ok. I mean it. You don’t need to protect me from any of this. If I didn’t want it, I’d be long gone by now. It’s not too hard to escape a palace, much easier than getting in. We would know about that, wouldn’t we?”

The teasing in his voice seemed to go over Koutarou’s head, either that or he just chose not to react to it.

The man leaned forward and pulled Tetsurou into a tight hug. “Just as long as you’re happy. And you mean it.”

For the most part, one could brush Bokuto off as an overly excitable loud mouth, but for this moment, and for all this time before, he’d been a brother.

An alpha spending day and night wondering if his omegian brother were even still out there to be found. If he even _wanted_ to be found.

He and Kuroo were brothers, not by blood, but by choice. By a bond that had been forged almost immediately upon them meeting as a couple of scraggly unpresented orphans from lands that couldn’t have been further from each other.

After Tetsurou had presented, it hadn’t changed. Bokuto treated him exactly the same, letting the many lonely hours and thoughtless angry words sweep over him like a river.

When Kuroo had apologized, having finally accepted who he was, Koutarou was waiting with open arms.

Now they were finally together again, and all Koutarou wanted now was to make up for lost time, with priority one being to stand as the alphian brother who hadn’t been there to protect him at the start of this wild ride.

Not saying Tetsurou needed the protection, but the willingness of Koutarou to do so was a comfort the omega hated to admit he appreciated.

Tetsurou felt his warmth, and for a moment just hugged him back in silence.

Then he spoke.

“I love him. I mean it. I’m happy. I mean it. I’m ok, and nobody has been forcing me to do anything. I mean it. _Ok?_ ”

Koutarou finally let him go, giving a choked exhale. “Yeah…ok. Sorry, that was a bit rough.”

He tucked a hand behind his head to cover the emotion constricting his voice.

Kuroo smiled, hooking their elbows together again. “Hey, it’s what brothers do, right?”

The alpha hummed, finally seeming to have relaxed, the tension in his face melting away. “Yeah…it is.”

Tetsurou crouched down in the snow, drawing idly in it with a gloved finger. “Hey…remember when you took me up to your home village in the mountains?”

Koutarou tucked his hands in his pockets. “Sure, what about it?”

“It was more ice than snow, up there. The snow here is all soft…”

Bokuto rolled his eyes. “What, so you’re dissing my hometown now?”

“No, no…I actually liked the snow there better.” Tetsurou replied as he stood up back up.

Bokuto furrowed his brow. “Really? Why?”

That was when a snowball struck him in the face and exploded, covering him in the cold powder.

“The snow up there was harder, it did more damage!”

“WHAT THE HELL, BRO!” Koutarou shouted, wiping the snow off his face and taking a few steps forward.

“I’m going to tackle you into a snowdrift!”

“Bet I could still run faster than you even in a heavy winter dress and corset!” Kuroo cackled, having already taken off up the path.

“No way!” Bokuto chased after him.

For the afternoon, they enjoyed being kids again, and if Bokuto did manage to perform a flying tackle to knock Tetsurou into a nearby pile of shoveled snow, well then at least Kei wasn’t nearby to see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! I'd like to apologize for the slower updates, I've been working pretty hard lately with athletics and other stuff so I've been pretty tired. Not a great combo for working on stories, especially ones this long since I really don't wanna trip at the finish line :P We're not there YET, but we're getting close (ish) so there's that! Well, please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo outrun Bokuto in a skirt and corset, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	37. Deal with It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was great at doing that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp.  
> Here we go!   
> Please enjoy~

It was dinnertime.

Everyone was carrying on as you’d usually see.

Hinata was punching Kageyama in the shoulder repeatedly, over some brainless comment the alpha had made. Morisuke was yelling over something, no one was quite sure what, Oikawa was whining for attention, all was well.

As it should be, and Kuroo was content and comfortable to watch everything unfold.

That is, until things started to slow down.

Kuroo looked around the table as his eyes grew heavy, feeling confused as his mind grew sluggish.

Something was _wrong_.

Suga had just slumped over his chair,  as had Asahi. Oikawa's voice had begun slurring, and he toppled off his chair as his body went limp, like a puppet with its string cut. Further up the table, Suguru’s glass fell from his fingers, hitting the floor and shattering. Out in the hallway, Tetsurou could hear the maids screaming, and the clatter of them running up the hall.

The girl with the brown pigtails who always helped him get dressed flung to door open, taking a breath.

A flash of red splattered through the air, and she collapsed to the ground, with an alphian man in heavy winter clothes standing behind her, a bloodied knife in his hand.

A smile spread across his face, revealing rows of crooked teeth.

“Found ya.” He hummed, and that was when Tetsurou’s world went spiraling into black.

 

 

**_Later._ **

 

 

Bumpy back roads were what eventually roused Tetsurou from his forcibly induced slumber. His head was pounding, but this wasn’t the first time he’d experienced the awful hangover that came with being drugged.

He’d been on a lot of jobs, to a lot of places, and without a thought going to possible panic, he began to take scope of his surroundings.

His wrists were tied behind his back, and feeling across the ground through his gloves let him discover he was laying on a pile of hay.

_An old hay cart. Classic cover._

His mind whirled as he worked on figuring out just what had happened and how. He struggled to make out anything in the nearly pitch black wooden carriage he was in, he recognized another shape on the ground across from him.

In the darkness, he was unable to make out who it was, but a whiff of the air told him all he needed to know.

“Kei!” He hissed, managing his way to his knees and shuffling awkwardly over to him.

With no other options, he wound up kicking his alpha none to gently in the stomach.

When this didn’t wake him, Tetsurou sat back on his haunches, trying to calm his breathing.

_They must have found a way to slip drugs into the food in the manor…no clue how strong the dose was, I have no way of knowing what time it is. If I’ve been out for days or hours…no…hours…_

He could tell because he wasn’t yet feeling dehydrated. If he’d been rendered unconscious for days, he’d definitely be feeling the complaints of his hungry and thirsty body by now. Neither was occurring, meaning what he’d eaten and drank at dinner was still enough.

_Hours, then…and Kei’s here. What about the others? I saw Suguru drop his glass…and the maids…gods, if they were killed I’ll never forgive myself._

Those kind smiling faces, happy helping hands, were in his mind. He’d seen one of Yamada’s guys slash one of them in the doorway.

He fisted his hands. _Can’t focus on that now…Kei is still out cold, and I’ve got to hope that he’ll wake soon. Meanwhile…_

Before he could get any further, the back door to the wagon slid open.

He squinted as lantern light illuminating the dark and glared up at the alpha holding it.

“Up already? Well, I’m not surprised. People like us tend to shake off these things pretty quick.”

Tetsurou bit his lip. “So? Why not kill us?”

The man gave a bark of laughter. “Straight to the point? I’d think you’d be grateful to wake up at all. The Master wants to do the honors himself. Besides, we had to get his idiot son back, anyway, so he’s funded our little expedition here.”

Tetsurou scowled. “Ok. And Kei?”

“He’s the Prince of the richest kingdom on the continent. Killing him would be a waste of money. You understand.”

Tetsurou twisted his hands against his ropes, and felt something catch.

_My ring!_

Hidden underneath his glove, the sharp edge of the rose petals was catching on the rough fibers through the thin silk.

“What about the others?” Tetsurou demanded.

The alpha casually lit a cigarette on the flame in the lantern, shutting the door of it again after he did so.

The alpha took a long draw, before dark eyes slid towards him.

“Nobles. Like with your pretty Prince here, a waste of money to kill them. The others who chased you aren’t worth anything to us, so we disposed of them.”

Kuroo felt his heart flare. “You _what!?_ ”

He cackled again, the lit end of his cigarette bobbing from where it stuck to his lip. “You sound so surprised. You’ve been out of this life to long. We kept the two who’re always with you cause the Master wants them, and his son, of course, but the rest were unnecessary. They betrayed Half Moon, and disobeyed orders. Every chance we gave for them to turn back they refused. You know what the punishment is for that.”

Tetsurou grit his teeth, tears burning in his gaze.

_They came to help me. Now they’re gone. The maids…my friends…this is all my fault. If I’d just done something else back then. Stayed with Kenma, not taken the job, avoided the window. If I’d just told Kei sooner, warned him this might happened, they could have had more security at the manor. If…if…_

The mans eyes suddenly lit up slightly, as if something had just occurred to him that he’d previously forgotten.

“Oh, but I kept one of those omegas from your group for myself. I forget his name, the kid from the islands down south.” The alpha waved the two fingers he clutched his cigarette in casually.

A sick grin tainted his features, eyes lit up lustfully. “I think I’ll have my first go at him after I leave you here. I was just sent to check and make sure you weren’t dead.”

He picked up his lantern and jumped off the running board at the back of the cart.

“Don’t worry…our set up is pretty far from here. We set up a perimeter, of course. You won’t be able to hear us, but I’ll fill you in tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll be _fun._ ”

Tetsurou saw _red_.

The ropes gave, the fibers snapping away one by one thanks to his incessant rubbing against them with his ring.

His hands were free.

 _“BASTARD!”_ He shot out of the back of the cart like a bat out of hell, hand reaching beneath his undershirt.

His dagger was still there.

They hadn’t checked his corset, he could tell because the laces were still drawn tight.

The alpha was only able to let out a choked half scream before Tetsurou was on top of him. The knife plunged down. Kuroo pulled it free and drove it down again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Then it was over.

Tetsurou stood there panting, the warmth of fresh drawn blood seeping into his gloves and beading again the edge of his weapon. The body went still, lit cigarette still hanging from it’s lip.

He got to his feet, heart pounding.

It had been over three years since the last time he’d killed intentionally.

For a moment that horror and guilt threaten to flood into him, the memory of the first time he’d ended a life looming in the back of his mind.

Then he remembered what this man said he’d done.

Killed his family. Hurt his friends.

Threatened to do such disgusting things to Suguru.

And that guilt faded.

_Deal with it later._

After all.

He was great at doing that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit went from 0 to 100 real fast. Then again, that was my goal, so...here we go! :D Please drop a comment down below, they help Kuroo deal with it, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	38. Moments Saved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “…I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t lose you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tension mounts!   
> Please enjoy~

Kei awoke to a throbbing headache stabbing through his cranium, and someone shaking his shoulders.

“Kei…Kei! Dammit, you need to get up, now! Please! _Kei!_ ”

His eyes creaked open, and he saw Tetsurou leaning over him, eyes weighted with worry.

“Tetsu…what happened?” He groaned.

The scent of blood mingling into his omegas clothes caused him to shake off the drowsiness real quick.

His eyes darted across Tetsurou, searching him for signs of injury. He was wearing the same dress he’d had on at dinner, the black top skirt looking worryingly stained. The omega threw his arms around Tsukki. 

"Oh thank the gods, I thought you'd never wake up!" 

He released Tsukki as quickly as he'd grabbed him, pulling at his shoulder.

He clutched a dagger in one hand. “Sit up, hurry.”

The alpha did as he was told and Tetsurou’s dagger made quick work of the ropes binding his wrists.

“What happened?” He repeated, more intensely this time as he rubbed at the chaffing the ropes had left behind.

Kuroo had slunk across the hay cart they were in, peering through the cracked open back door. “We got kidnapped. Yamada’s crew somehow snuck drugs into the food at the manor, knocked all of us out.” His voice was clipped and quiet.

Kei crawled across to him. “How did you get loose?”

“Used the sharp edge of my ring to scrape at the ropes. Enough so I was able to break them. Killed a guy who opened the doors, stashed his body under the cart. As far as I know no one knows we’re loose or even awake yet.”

Kei felt a chill run up his spine. “You…wait, repeat that, you just killed someone? _Just now?_ ”

Tetsurou looked to him, sighing and awkwardly rearranging his skirts to better settle around his kneeling form.

“I told you. I’ve done it before, and not just on accident. Besides…he pissed me off. Said he was gonna do all sorts of disgusting things to Suguru...he deserved it.”

Kei reached forward and gripped his arm. “I…”

Fear flashed through the omegas gaze, and Tsukki swallowed.

_He told me. This was his life before. And…_

Exhaling, the prince released his arm.

_…and I can accept that._

“Ok…ok…ok....” He pushed his glassed up the bridge of his nose.

“What’s the plan now? How are we getting out? Where are the others?”

Kuroo’s eyes went downcast. “The nobility is still alive, I don’t know where. Mori and Kenma are still alive, too, and so is Lev. Same, I don’t know where they are. Suguru is somewhere in this camp. But my team…”

He grit his teeth. “They were disposed of.”

Kei’s eyes widened.

Death was something he’d never quite confronted before. His grandfather passing away at an old age was the only time he’d experienced it directly. Here he was, now, with his court mate wielding a bloodied knife, and the grim news that the people he’d just met, just begun to bond with, care about, become friends with, maybe even welcome into his palace home, were dead.

Gone.

Young lives cut short and torn from a world they weren’t yet through with.

In all of this, he worried most for Tetsurou.

_How is he holding it together?_

The answer was plain.

After all, Tetsurou and the Reaper were old friends.

“I’m…I’m sorry.” Kei managed.

Kuroo grabbed his hand. “I’m not through yet. Until I see bodies, I don’t believe anyone is dead. And if they are…”

Tetsurou paused, and Kei sensed his pain.“…then I’m sure they gave them hell all the way down.”

With this, the omega turned his gaze back to the door.“It’s late. We need to sneak out into the wooded area back there without anyone seeing us. The guy I offed was on his way to his tent, so no ones realized we’re free.”

He released the alphas hand and stood up, crouched, knife in hand.“Stay close to me, we’ll run across to those bushes there, and hide in the dark. We’ll figure out our next move from there.”

Kei merely nodded in agreement.

They slipped quietly from the cart, and rushed across the open clearing, Kuroo hitching up his skirts so he wouldn’t trip.

They made it to the bushes, and Tetsurou pulled him down behind the trees.

Kuroo dared to peek across the clearing again.

_No one…they must not have many men on hand, if they only had that one guy check in on us. Either that or they’re getting overconfident. Whatever, makes things easier on me._

He found himself gripping Kei’s hand again.

He sat back behind the bush and looked to Kei. “Listen. These guys are trained assassins. I can take one or two, but if they come at us in numbers we're dead.”

Kei nodded. “I understand. Do you have any idea where Suguru-san is?”

Kuroo shook his head. “The guy said he was going to have his fun with him…Suguru’s probably still knocked out in his tent.”

Kei tried to push that horrible imagine out of his brain, and focused on what Kuroo was doing, looking back over towards the cart.

“What?”

Tetsurou squinted at the slightly agape door, before turning his head to the left. “When he said he was going to his tent, he waved in that direction, and his eyes darted that way too. That’s where they are. Once we find Suguru, we can figure out if anyone else is still here.”

Kei looked to him. “You said they were short handed, right? That means we’re at an advantage.”

“It does, but it also means that Mori, Kenma, Lev, and the nobles are all probably with a different group. Yamada’s crew was one of the biggest in the guild when I was there. Forty members, maybe even fifty. I don't remember the exact number, but it was way bigger than your average team up. They probably kept us with the smaller group as insurance, and took the people the Master really wanted on a more direct route. Rule one of operating outside the law, never put all your eggs in one basket. If one group gets busted, at least the other half has part of the payload.” Kuroo mumbled most of this, but Kei was able to follow along.

With this, Kuroo stood up and started back into the forest. They wove their way through the thick underbrush, and at one point Kuroo paused, putting a hand up.

Kei froze, and Tetsurou stepped forward, touching his hand to a band of ivy, with beautiful red flowers blossoming forth.

“Cat Skulls.” He said, and Kei looked repulsed.

“What?”

Kuroo backed away from the tree. “These are crimson ivies. People around here call them Cat Skulls. They only grow in Nekoma, which means we’re already over the border. Who knows how far it is back to Karasuno from here.”

The alpha stepped forward. “Where ever we are, we can still get home. We just need to get Suguru-san, then make a plan to save the others.”

Kuroo nodded. “Yeah, but one difference.”

Kei furrowed his brow. “What?”

“ _I’ll_ go get Suguru. You stay here. We’re far enough from the camp by now no one will find you.”

Tetsurou was turned to leave already, but Kei seized his arm. “You think I’ll let you go alone? Into a camp full or dangerous people who want to kill you? No!” The prince exclaimed.

Kuroo made to yank his arm free but Kei held firm. “I’m not letting you. I get that this is your world and the life you left and you understand what’s going on far better than I do, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit idly by while you go risk your life!”

“Why should we both risk our lives? You don’t know what to do with a knife, and you haven’t killed. I won’t let you, as long as I’m around. You don’t deserve to have that on you. I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again. I’m good at it. You coming with me will only slow me down.”

Kuroo would have thought that would do it. That would hit Kei in the pride, reminding him how useless he was in this situation, but the prince didn’t let go.

“Even so…I’m not allowing the omega I love to go alone like this."

Those words were so honest, so true, so completely unlike Kei to be speaking, that Tetsurou stopped struggling to get his arm loose.

Kei continued. "If nothing I’ll carry Suguru, or be a shield. Anything. I don’t care. But I’m not letting you go.”

Kuroo’s calm facade cracked. “And that _helps?_ You’ll take a hit for me, gods, I couldn’t handle that! Don’t you get it, I’m happier if I end up dying alone, because more people I care about are still breathing…I…”

Tears were burning in his eyes.

“Mori and Kenma are _gone_ , Lev is getting taken back to his father who he hates with a burning passion, Suguru was almost _raped_ and the rest of my friends are _dead!_ The people who took me in at the palace are all going to be ransomed off or killed or _worse_ and the alpha I love is in this awful mess all because of _me!_ ”

Kuroo grabbed Tsukki by the front of his vest. “So if anyone else is gonna die, it’s gonna be me! Because I won’t let anyone I love suffer any more because of all _my_ mistakes! I can’t…”

His hands were shaking, and he planted his forehead against Kei’s shoulder.

“…I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t lose you.”

Kei wrapped his arms around the omega and pressed a kiss against his temple.

“…you’re so strong, but you won’t depend on others. They came to help you, I’m here to help you. You want to protect me, you can’t lose me, but I can’t lose you either.”

In the silence of the forest, with a camp full of assassins after their heads not far away, Kei held him.

“You were the first person I ever truly _saw,_ Tetsurou. You taught me so much about what it really means to love someone, and care for someone, and forgive someone, and how it feels to be forgiven. I’m _not_ letting you go alone.”

A moment saved for heavy breaths and silent tears.

“Ok.”

Kuroo pulled back from him, wiped aggressively at his eyes with his sleeve.

“Ok… _fine._ We’ll do it together. Just…you have to listen to me. I’m…I’m gonna try to do this so no one sees us but if we get caught you need to stick to me because I’m not going down without a fight. Besides, if we come across guards I can take out silently, I’m gonna. So I apologize in advance for how violent this could get.”

Kei shook his head. “Not your fault. Their fault for daring to piss you off.”

Kuroo spun his dagger in his right hand, bloodstained gloves still sheathing his long fingers.

“Alright…let’s go kill some bastards.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo's about to go bring the hurt on some of these jerks. It's gonna be exciting! Well, that's all for now, please drop a comment down below, they help Tetsurou keep it together just a bit longer, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks for reading!


	39. Washed Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m about 57% sure he’s this way…maybe 58%.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the saga of kidnapped Kuroo and the Prince continues!   
> Please enjoy~

Tetsurou and Kei crept silently back around the camp, inching towards the tents gathered to the left of the hay cart.

When they arrived, Kuroo saw that one man was awake on lookout, and sat near a smoldering fire pit that must have only recently been put out.

Kuroo turned his dagger over in his hand, padding around behind the tents, staying concealed in the shadows. Kei was relatively decent at copying his court mates moves, at the very least managing to stay out of sight. Tetsurou worked his way around to behind one of the tents, then put his finger up in Kei’s direction.

It was over in an instant. Tetsurou rushed out from behind one of the tents, clapped a hand over the man’s mouth, and slit his throat.

As he went down, Tetsurou was just barely was able to realize there was a looming shadow behind him. The hulking alpha brought his sword down with vigor, but Kuroo was able to dodge the blade and rolled away. As he went, his skirt got caught on the edge of one of the logs set up for seating by the fire pit, and he stumbled.

The sword was coming towards him, and Kei was moving out from behind the tent in a desperate bid to help.

Then a dull _crack_ echoed through the camp, and the man thudded to the ground, out cold.

Thanks to a cast iron skillet that had just been whammed with all the strength Suguru possessed into the back of his skull.

“Suguru!” Tetsurou stood and lurched forward, throwing his arms around the omega.

“Hey, you ok?” He replied, putting an arm around Tetsurou's shoulders.

“Scrapes and bruises, you?” Kuroo asked, pulling back, eyes darting up and down Suguru’s lithe frame.

His dress from dinner was still fully intact, and he sported no sign of serious injury. The heavy skillet he’d just attacked with hung from his right hand.

“None the worse for wear,” Suguru said.

“So no one…oh, thanks the gods…” Kuroo groaned, squeezing his friend by the shoulders just a little tighter.

Suguru patted him on the arm. “I got it…when I felt myself getting woozy at dinner, I grabbed my steak knife off the table and hid it in my undershirt. Used it to cut away the ropes. Funny how they always forget to check places like that unless it’s for _other_ reasons.”He pointed into his mouth and fake gagged at this.

Tetsurou nodded. “Same here. Had my old dagger in my corset, just because I was feeling paranoid. Good thing I was.”

Suguru grinned. “Never change.”

Kei moved out from behind the tents. “We need to move. Someone might come out to check what the noise was.”

“Oh, hey. Yeah, you’re right.” Suguru agreed, and the three of them made a hasty retreat back into the wilderness.

When they had made it a decent distance from the camp, Kuroo could hear voices picking up behind them.

“They noticed we’re gone, we need to go. Run!”

So they were running, sprinting through the forest with no clue quite where they were or which direction they should be heading.

Branches whipped by, swatted away by blindly waved hands.

The voices were getting closer, gaining ground as the alphas trampled the underbrush in their chase. The trio kept rushing ahead until the ground beneath them suddenly gave way.

A chasm leading down to rushing rapids yawned before their eyes.

“Watch it!” Kuroo threw an arm out and tried to stop them, but it was too late, Kei couldn’t slow fast enough an crashed into him, Suguru slamming into his back.

They all went over the edge and went tumbling downwards into the waters below.

_Cold._

That was the first thing that Kei managed to process when his body hit the water. The grip of winter was still prominent in the waters of Northern Nekoma, it seemed. The strength of the rapids quickly started dragging him downstream, and he felt someone's arm knock off of him.

Kicking his legs, he managed to break the surface.

Once he did, he struggled to keep his head above water while searching for the two omegas through water streaked glasses. When he didn’t spot them, he was quick to plunge his head under again.

A flash of red caught his eye, and he fought against the current towards it.

He seized a fistful of cloth and pulled, finding an arm not long after. Bursting from the water again, he found that Tetsurou’s several skirts must have managed to absorb an absurd amount of weight in water, making it pretty difficult to swim.

_Wait, does he even know how to swim?_

The thought occurred in a flash but was gone just as quickly. The waters were still buffering them from all angles. Kuroo had been still for a moment, causing Kei to feel a stab of fear before he’d burst into a coughing fit.

“W-Where’s Suguru?” He demanded the second he was able to talk, barely heard over the water swirling about them and smashing into their ears every few seconds.

_Worry about yourself for a second, dammit!_

Tsukki wanted to exclaim, but he kept it to himself.

So the alpha turned his gaze, and after being swept another couple hundred feet, spotted Suguru clinging on to a boulder to avoid getting dragged down.

“Suguru-san! Here!” Kei put an arm out as they were about to go by.

“Are you _crazy?_ ” The omega shouted back, seeming unsure about leaving the relative safety of the boulder.

“I’ll pull us all to shore! I’m a strong swimmer, I promise!” Kei insisted, still kicking with his feet to keep he and Tetsurou’s heads above water.

Suguru looked torn for a moment before taking a deep breath and plunging back into the water.

Tsukishima managed to seize his hand, pulling hard to get him closer, looping his arm around his waist, and then started working his way towards the shoreline he’d spotted just a short distance further downstream. So far they’d been getting washed down through a valley with no shoreline to reach, but it appeared they’d reached the end of that area.

Kei successfully managed to drag both of the omegas with him to shore, dropping them to the sands before falling to his knees, hacking and coughing.

Tetsurou sat up stiffly, hair flattened down atop his head.

Quite the strange appearance for him, considering a solid three inches in his height likely came from his spiky bedhead. “Well…that’s one way to make a getaway.”

He’d managed to hang on to his dagger, though Suguru had unfortunately lost the skillet he’d been carrying.

Suguru groaned, ringing out the edge of his skirt. “At least we got washed far enough away that it’ll be hard for them to find us again.”

Tetsurou sighed, getting to his feet. “Yeah, but we’d better not count on it.”

Kei looked up at the two of them, water droplets sliding down his glasses lenses. “I feel like I deserve more credit from saving you both from drowning just now.”

Tetsurou smiled down to him. “Hey, now you’re starting to pull your weight.”

“And yours. And Suguru-san’s. Out of the _rapids._ ” Kei grumbled haughtily.

Daishou rolled his eyes. “Credit can be given after we’re sure we’ll all be able to make it out of this alive. Now we need to find the others.”

Kuroo looked to him with a downcast expression. “I’m…I’m sure how many are left to find. One of the guys I took out…he told me that most of our team was… _disposed_ of.”

Suguru looked to him with a furrowed brow before putting a hand to his neck.

“Uh…nope. Yuuji’s fine. He’s awake. And he doesn’t seem to be upset or mourning. Though he is pissed. But not, like, ‘I just saw my best friends get killed’ pissed.”

Tetsurou’s eyes widened as Kei got to his feet.

“That’s right.” The prince hummed, a relieved expression coming to his face.

“You and Teru-san are mated, you can feel him.”

Suguru dodged eye contact awkwardly. “Um…yeah. I mean…he’s definitely not dead, I can tell you that. And he doesn’t feel as though he just watched any of our friends die, so…for now, it’s safe to assume that they’re ok.”

Tetsurou darted across to him, grabbing him by the shoulders. “You can follow the bond to him, right!?”

Suguru recoiled from the sudden approach, a startled look crossing his face.

“I…uh…I’ve never tried to but…maybe?”

He covered his bond mark self consciously before speaking again.

“Since I saw him not too long ago, the pull isn’t very strong…but that also means he’s not far from us. If he were more distant, the strength of the pull would increase faster. It’s not. So he’s got to be nearby.”

Kei nodded. “Well, it’s something. If you could try your best to follow it, perhaps even let him know through the bond we’re searching for them?”

Suguru shook his head. “It’s not like I can just beam messages into his brain. If things are calm thoughts can cross over, but things are definitely not calm enough now for that to happen. Not to mention we don’t have any control over which thoughts cross, it’s random. Just…ugh…”

He uncertainly turned back towards the river and exhaled heavily, closing his eyes.

A few moments ticked by with Kuroo and Tsukki looking back and forth between each other and Suguru before the Nohebi native spun about-face and started walking into the woods.

“I’m about 57% sure he’s this way…maybe 58%.”

Kuroo shrugged. “Those are better odds than we’d get from wandering around randomly.”

Suguru narrowed his eyes back towards his old friend. “Look, this isn’t an exact science, but I think I can get us in the same general area as Yuuji, and that’s no promises on him being with any of the others.”

Kei nodded. “We understand. Even finding one more person we’ve been separated from is a victory in this situation.”

Tetsurou, who was in the process of cutting away his top skirt best he could so he could actually move in the clothes he was stuck with, gave an idle hum.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just track your man, sweetheart.”

“Shut up!”

“What, so he _isn’t?_ ”

“…I…well…shut up!”

“Uh-huh.”

So they continued walking until the sound of rushing water faded and the forest once again swallowed them whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! So Suguru's alright, and it looks like the others are (read:probably) alive too! Hooray! So, please leave a comment down below, they help Suguru track down his M A N, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	40. Trailing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They won’t hurt you."  
> "Much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy~

The first glimmers of sunlight were peaking over the horizon when Tetsurou spoke up.

“So… _where_ exactly are we?”

Kei looked over to him in confusion. Both of them were walking slightly behind Suguru, who was doing his best to led them to Teru, who’d hopefully be with a majority of their missing friends.

“Didn’t you say those flowers earlier meant we were in Nekoma?”

Kuroo nodded, crossing his arms. “Yeah, yeah, but like. Where in Nekoma? I’m trying to figure how far South we got…how long do you think we were out?”

“Approximating, since we were knocked out at dinner several hours after sunset, and awoke in the middle of the night, I’d say about 24 hours, maybe a little less.”

Kuroo frowned. “What? I thought we’d only been out for a few hours.”

Kei shook his head. “It’s impossible for them to have transported us that quickly to the border. We might have gotten close, but the manor isn’t _that_ far from the capital.”

Tetsurou scoffed. “It has to have been over the same night, after all, I didn’t feel any sort of hunger or thirst when we woke up.”

“You’re used to going days with limited food. I was quite hungry when we woke up. Still am, but that’s not the top priority.” Kei replied pointedly.

His omega frowned, biting his lower lip. “You’re not wrong…but then…”

“SHUT UP! I CAN’T FOCUS!” Suguru shouted over his shoulder.

Both of them jumped at his sudden cry.

“Whoa, whoa, what’s the big deal?” Kuroo demanded.

Suguru groaned, clutching at his hair.“He’s _somewhere_ near here! But now that we’re closer the pull’s almost nonexistent! Agh! I’m never gonna see him again at this rate!”

Suguru insisted on a panicked breath.

Tetsurou moved forward, putting an arm around his friends' shoulders.

“It’s ok, calm down. You _are_ gonna see him again. We all are. We’re all gonna see everyone again. You’ve been at it for hours, why don’t we take a break. We can scavenge around, see if we can find something to eat. Besides, it’s almost daybreak, and it’ll be harder to travel under the radar during the day.”

“No! We’re _so_ close…I don’t know how to follow it from here. He’s somewhere in that direction, but I’m not sure exactly which way or exactly how far and…”

Suguru, getting choked up with the sheer frustration of it all, managed a sigh. “…maybe I do need a break.”

“There you go! Now, let’s switch to finding the nearest road. Once we do that, we’ll scavenge around for any supplies or a safe place to rest.”

“Agreed.” Kei chimed in.

So they continued their trek, eventually coming to a beaten down dirt road cutting through the thick forest.

Just as they were peering through at the road, Suguru pointed.

“There!”

Kuroo whipped his head around and saw the back wheel of a cart just barely turning the corner.

They started slinking through the underbrush after it, getting close enough to make out that the cart was at the rear of a group of three all moving forward together. They continued to pursue, hanging to the side of the road to avoid being spotted.

“Why are we following it? What are the chances it’s actually them?” Kei hissed.

“These roads are only ever used by farmers or people on horseback headed between towns, it’s rare to see a grouping of carts traveling together. Plus…”

Squinting, Kuroo to make out a figure standing on the back running board of the rear cart. It appeared the other two were in a similar fashion.

“Seems like they’re looking out for someone.”

As they crept forward, Suguru suddenly went still, eyes widening, and bottom lip starting to quake.

Kuroo looked at him. “Are you ok? What…”

That was all that happened before Suguru swiftly took the lead, dashing forward and halting at a specific tree, looking up.

 _“Yuuji!”_ He hissed.

“What?” Kuroo demanded.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Terushima’s head poked down from a rather high branch.

“Babe, there you are!” He dropped out of the tree and swept Daishou off his feet.

“I’ve been trying to track you down, gods, I’m so happy to see you! I was so worried.” Suguru said, pressing his forehead against his alphas, tears pricking into his gaze.

“No need to cry, I’m here.” Terushima murmured, happily pressing kisses to his mate's face.

“Suguru!”

“Tetsu and Tsukishima-kun, too?”

Tetsurou looked up, managed to see through the foliage and spot three other figures squatting in the trees.

“BRO! You’re alive!” Kuroo threw his arms up.

“BRO! You too!” Bokuto burst down from the branches and seized Kuroo.

Kiyoko dropped down as well, far more gracefully than the explosion Bokuto had managed, and so too came Iwaizumi.

“Hey, glad to see you all are ok.” The larger alpha greeted, nodding to Kei, who returned the gesture.

Kiyoko moved forward to clasp one of Kuroo’s arms once Bokuto had put him down.

“I was worried when you three weren’t near us. Yuuji could tell Suguru was further away than any of the other carts.”

Yuuji, at last, put Suguru down and looked to them with a smile on his face. “I wasn’t sure where you guys wound up, and I didn’t want to risk losing the carts with everyone else. So we were planning to try and break everyone else out and then come looking for you.”

He didn’t release his arm from around Daishou’s waist even as he spoke.

Iwaizumi jacked a thumb over his shoulder. “Speaking of carts, we need to keep pace.”

The group turned as one to trail the carts again, and as they did Kei spoke. “So that is where the others are?”

Kiyoko nodded. “As far as we can tell. Hitoka _is_ in one of those first two carts.”

“So is Tooru.” Iwaizumi backed up.

"Keiji too!" Bokuto contributed.

“How did you guys get out?” Suguru questioned, sticking close to Yuuji as they moved.

And really, who could blame him?

“They underestimated how strong Iwa is.” Bokuto hummed.

“They what?” Kei demanded.

Iwaizumi shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. They didn’t use enough rope.”

“So you did what, exactly?” Kuroo asked.

“I broke the rope.” Iwaizumi replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Dude, holy shit, how? We were stuck with like, heavy hemp rope. Did they use something else for you?”

“No. Same kind.” Kiyoko said.

Kuroo gave a low whistle. “Damn, those guns really aren’t just for show, huh, Iwa?”

“A monster of a man walks among us.” Suguru snickered.

“If Tooru were here he’d be whining by now about you guys hitting on me,” Hajime said, a hint of mirth to his voice.

Kuroo turned his gaze to the carts. “Well, let’s get him so we can let him know.”

“That will be a lot harder than it seems. None of us have any weapons. Do you three?” Kiyoko asked.

Kuroo put his hand up. “I have my dagger.”

No one else said anything.

Shimizu sighed lightly. “This will be tough…I think we should trail them until they make a pit stop.”

“Do that and we run the risk of them headed into a town or maybe even getting all the way back. We have no idea where we are or how far we are from Half Moon. And that’s a worst case scenario if I’ve ever heard one. Wait, why are you guys even still alive? _That_ was my worst case scenario!” Kuroo asked.

Bokuto shrugged. “I think one of the guild elders might have convinced the Master to give us one last shot at redemption. Maybe one of the ones who were around back when we were kids. Probably an ‘apologize on your hands and knees and or die pointlessly’ sort of thing. Even if we did apologize, I doubt it’d work out very well. At the very least it’d still be a better deal for him to convince us back on his side. Plus, he’s still desperate to get Lev to agree to be heir to the guild, and killing us all wouldn’t serve to well for his argument.”

Suguru hummed. “Makes sense. We were the most promising of the younger assassins in Half Moon, and being there most of our lives gave us an edge. We were going to be the next generation of guild elders if things had stayed on track. They probably want to try and get us back at least one more time before offing all of us. It’d be a waste of money if they did.”

So they continued their pursuit for a few moments until Iwaizumi broke the silence.

“So…what do we do? Trailing them forever is too risky, and we can’t keep this pace all day.”

For a long moment no one spoke, that is, until Kiyoko spoke up.

“We’ll have to draw some of them away. We can take them in smaller numbers, steal their weapons, and then have something to use against the main force. Still, they’ll be expecting something like that. We can’t use any of us as bait, they’ll know it’s a trap in a heartbeat.”

Kei put a hand up. “What if it’s me?”

Kuroo rounded on him. “I’m sorry, what if it’s _who?_ And also, no!”

Tsukki looked to him seriously. “Think about it. What’s the one thing you’ve all been saying? The number one priority for them is money. They don’t waste it, they’ll do whatever it takes to get more of it. I’m the most valuable person they kidnapped…um, no offense.”

“None taken.” Bokuto chirped.

So Kei continued.“If they see me wandering up the side of the road alone, they’ll know I escaped, but they’ll have no clue if you’re with me or not.”

He looked to Yuuji. “After you guys escaped the cart, they don’t know if you ran or if you kept following, right?”

Yuuji shrugged. “They don’t know for certain, but they’ll probably have assumed we’re following. After all, they know we aren’t like them. We wouldn’t leave anyone behind.”

Kei pursed his lip. “In that case…maybe we can trick them into thinking it’s a trap…but it’s the wrong trap they see?”

Kiyoko nodded. “I see what you mean.”

“I don’t,” Bokuto said flatly.

“Me neither. And even if I don’t, I’m against it.” Kuroo muttered.

Kei put a hand up. “Let me explain…”

 

 

**_One of the Carts._ **

 

 

“Any luck?” Tooru questioned.

Suga sighed, dropping the crow feather hairpin he’d worked from his Hinata’s hair to the ground.

“None. Knots are too tight.” He reported.

Hitoka, who’d been working on trying to free Akkashi’s restraints, also heaved a sigh.

“No good for me either. I can’t get them to free up.” She groaned.

“If I’d just kept my dagger somewhere else! They took my thigh strap…”

“You carried a dagger into dinner?” Shouyou asked.

“You didn’t?” Akaashi replied.

It was a bit of a joke, but it didn’t lighten the mood for anyone. Not to mention Akaashi’s flat expression didn’t lend to it well.

The cart seemed to contain most of the omegas who’d been at the dinner. Tooru, Suga, Hitoka, Akaashi, Hinata, and Noya.

“This is bad…we’ve been trapped like this for a day at least…we’ve got to be getting close,” Tooru muttered, eyes filled with uncertainty.

“Close to wear?” Suga questioned.

Akaashi looked to them, heaving a sigh. “Our home. Or, at least, it used to be.”

“Once upon a time, it was actually a pretty nice place.” Hitoka hummed wistfully.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Hitoka,” Tooru said, the words holding a hint of humor.

Noya’s eye twitched. “Your home. So the _tailors_ guild!? We got kidnapped by a bunch of tailors!?”

Hitoka looked awkwardly to Tooru, as if asking if this was ok.

The older merely shrugged. “Does it even matter anymore? We’re probably gonna die when we get there.”

“They’ll kill us?” Hinata asked, looking terrified.

Tooru shook his head. “Not you. You’re worth too much money. We’ll be killed, most likely. Traitors to the guild are slated for death if they return. We’re not returning willingly, but still. It’s rare for them to hunt runaways down, but we’re a special case.”

“Yeah…sorry, everyone. Don’t be scared, ok, Hinata-kun? They won’t hurt you.” Hitoka tried to assure.

“Much,” Akaashi commented bitterly.

“Keiji!” Hitoka snapped.

He looked up at her in surprise. It was rare for her to be so aggressive, after all.

“You think that helps _at all_ right now?” She demanded of him.

“No, it doesn’t…sorry…” He mumbled, dodging her gaze.

Tooru leaned his head back against the wooden wall of the cart, closing his eyes.

“Ok…so, who’s ready for a story?”

Suga looked to him incredulously. “Is now really the time?”

The omega cracked an eye open to look down to him. “This one’s 100% true. Accurate to the letter. Why we’re here, why we’re terrible people, why we don’t seem scared of death.”

Hitoka crossed her legs in an attempt to be in a more comfortable position. “After all, it wouldn’t be fair for us to keep secrets anymore at this point.”  
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Akaashi seemed resigned on the subject.

Noya frowned. “Well, go ahead. After all, what more could you spring on us at this point?”

Tooru looked at him. “You’re gonna regret saying that.”

He then redirected his gaze to the ceiling.

“So…where do I even start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suguru found his M A N but now everyone else is in a good bit of trouble. And Kei has a brilliant (read: terrible) idea! So, please drop a comment down below, they help Akaashi to stop making bad unhelpful jokes, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


	41. Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...I'd do anything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit dark here...but hey, it's a story about assassins in a cruel world, juxtaposed with the glitz and glamour of the royal palace.   
> In case you hadn't noticed so far, that's what I'm going for XD  
> Please enjoy~

The ride had been mostly calm for the members of Half-Moon. They’d been encouraged by quite a handsome reward for capturing their Master’s son.

Well, he’d agreed to let them get ahold of the other runaways while they were at it, with bonus points if they could catch that little omega who’d single-handedly ruined everything by distracting Lev from his destiny. Master Haiba hadn’t been pleased, and when he’d found one of his most cutthroat teams were eager to pursue in order to avenge their leader, it had worked out perfectly.

They’d left the most valuable target along with the omega who’d killed Yamada behind with a smaller group as insurance, after all, you could never know when things would go wrong. They’d also sent ahead the high priority targets and a spare who’d also been heavily involved, with their fastest cart.

The main bulk of the team was busy transporting the nobility they’d managed to capture. Between the pay from the Master and the extra revenue from ransoming off the nobility and the prince, they’d be sitting pretty. It’d be enough to divvy up through all of the team and leave everyone with a sizable sum.

So, when one of the men, armed with sword and a sharp eye, spotted a figure wandering down the road up ahead, he signaled to the others. They all stiffened, discreetly readying their weapons. 

The figure was dragging a leg slightly, awkwardly continuing down the road, not having seemed to notice the oncoming traffic.

The man driving the head cart put a hand up, causing the two behind to come to a halt.

Four alphas who’d been on lookout dropped down and crept slowly towards the seemingly oblivious figure.

 

 

**_The Omegas Cart._ **

  
****

No one spoke.

Tooru had just finished talking. Just finished his explanation. In an eerily level voice, without any emotion behind his words, he’d told them of their past. Their bloodstained hands, and yet, no one was having an immediate response.

“No…that can’t be…Hitoka-chan just said…it’s no time for joking.” Shouyou insisted, eyes wide and tears bubbling forth.

He looked to the girl, who merely dodged his gaze, shame growing in her chest.

“I…it’s no joke. It’s the truth…sorry.”

Suga didn’t seem to believe it, either. “So…even in that photo…”

His thoughts were going back to the photo book, to the image of the smiling young children that had grown into these people he’d come to know.

He’d known they didn’t live in the best place, but to think those smiles were witness to such horrors and were willing to commit such atrocities.

It was impossible to comprehend for someone like him. Someone like Koushi, who’d never wanted for anything, who’d always been kept from even the smallest bit of hard work in order to preserve his faultless beauty.

The closer he looked, the easier it was to see.

All the scars, scratches, and darkness in those eyes.

How had he not seen it before? Or had he simply glossed over it, writing it off on a hard upbringing in an impoverished life.

“How could you do such horrible things? Just for what… _money!?”_ Shouyou asked, looking borderline hysterical.

“Yes,” Akaashi said with a dead tone, whilst fidgeting with his arms, shoulders twisting and turning as if vastly uncomfortable.

Hinata turned his gaze on the one who had spoken, mouth half open to make a retort.

“You wouldn’t understand wanting for something trivial as that, now would you?” Akaashi followed up scathingly, narrowing his eyes at the younger.

Shouyou recoiled. “W-Well…no, but…but I’d still never have done that!”

“Really?” Akaashi asked.

“Really! I don’t care what’s happened! I could never kill someone for money!”

Keiji sighed, and for a moment it seemed he might let the problem drop, but then he started talking again.

“You’ve seen your mother forced away against her will, in order to be used as entertainment on some rich slobs airship. Your father was brutally slaughtered while trying to save her. He defended you till his final breath, throwing you out the back door of your tiny shack of a home. He told you to run. You ran. You’ve hiked for miles to the nearest town freezing and starving, only to be turned away at every door you reach. Begging gets you nothing but a beating, no one shows you an ounce of kindness. You can’t remember the last time you were truly warm. You live out of garbage cans and stowaway onto a cable car to escape the mountain. You meet another child who’s an orphan, as you are, and together you struggle to survive in a world where everyone treats you like filth. After months upon months this, you come to a building out in the forest of a nation you’re unfamiliar with, and people who offer you a warm bed, food, soft clothing. You’ve just presented omega. You’ve no home, no support, and now you’re at risk of being taken for your secondary and used for nothing more than that, just like your mother was the year prior…”

Akaashi turned his gave coldly to Hinata.

“…you’re only 14 years old. So tell me. Would you do anything for those people? Those people who took you in when everyone else shut you out? To be given the strength to fend for yourself in a world where no one else will take care of you. For the money, which you so easily take for granted. That money, which you could use to buy a warm coat, or food not from a maggot-ridden garbage can. Tell me, honestly…”

Even Keiji, usually so reserved, seemed to be getting heated.

“…tell me! Would you still be so disgusted!? Would you still refuse!? Be tossed back out? We didn’t _like_ doing it! We had to in order to survive! In a world where it’s you, and your only family, against literally everyone else, would you still be so loyal to your moral compass? Would you!?”

Shouyou had actually scooted a bit away from Keiji during this tirade, and Suga, watching from the side, could see the pain in his eyes, the tensing of his shoulders.

How upset he was.

Though, for some reason, the ash blonde got the feeling he wasn’t made _at_ Shouyou.

_Perhaps…jealous? Of Shouyou’s naivety?_

“I’d do it.”

The only one who hadn’t voiced an opinion thus far had spoken. It was a surprise that he’d stayed quite so long.

“Noya-san!” Shouyou exclaimed, turning to look to him.

Noya shrugged, seeming unfazed.   
“To be honest, I already knew you guys were on the wrong side of the tracks. I didn’t realize just _how_ far, but hey…I can’t judge. You’re right. We’ve been pampered lowers our whole lives. Life has been served up to us on silver platters. We’ve never wanted or struggled for anything substantial. Never had to fight for our lives, that’s for sure.”

Noya looked out to Akaashi. “Do I agree with it? No. But if I really, honestly put myself in that same situation. The one you were in at 14 years old, with no options, just trying to stop the suffering and take care of the people you love.”

Noya didn’t seem like he was wavering, not even slightly. Even if this was an imaginary scenario, he took it dead serious. The idea that, if by some slight of hand from the gods, he and Keiji were born in opposite places. Keiji to wealthy noble parents in Karasuno, Yuu to poor laborers in the freezing mountains of Fukurodani.

To have met Asahi by chance, while struggling for his own life, and then presenting omega on top of all that.

Losing his parents.

Losing his home.

Being treated so terribly, with no home to turn too, all at such a young age.

“…too protect Asahi? All my friends? To escape such a hellhole of a situation that you’d been trapped in. I’d do anything.”

His eyes were firm, completely serious. “Even kill.”

Hinata seemed abjectly horrified, whilst Koushi had a somber look fixed upon his face.

The heavy silence that hung among them was broken when Tooru suddenly straightened up from where he’d been slumped dejectedly against the wall.

“When did the cart stop moving?”

Sure enough, with the heated conversation going on, none of them had taken notice of the cart slowing to a halt.

This was when a strangled cry escaped from beyond their view, and several cracked echoed out.

“A fight…?” Hitoka questioned softly.

The violence beyond raged for some time, it seemed, before stillness fell once more.

The door behind Shouyou groaned, then a loud strike echoed out and something slammed into it.

Once, twice, three times.

Everyone was tense, eyes glued to the door.

It all happened fast, the door gave in, the latch must have broken, and it swung open. Blinding sunlight piercing into the dimly lit cart, and Keiji moved.

Shouyou, who’d been sitting closest to the door, found himself being dragged back by Keiji, who’d grabbed ahold of the back of his dress. The one who’d been so at odds with him before had pushed him back, ensuring he be out of the direct line of assault from the door.

Keiji, meanwhile, made another thing known.

This was the first time anyone had seen him from the back since they’d been trying to free their bonds earlier.

Blood was running freely down from his wrists, and he clutched in one hand the black feather clip from Shouyou’s hair that they’d been trying to use to release the knots.

The blood had moistened the rope, and Akaashi had completely forgone any sense of self preservation in an attempt to get his hands free, rubbing his wrists nearly raw, to the point that he was bleeding badly.

It seemed he’d reached the point where it was time to make the move, because with one more fierce pull, and a gritted out hiss of pain, he freed one wrist from the ropes, and sprung from the back of the cart at the man who’d opened it.

The alpha, mouth half open with pure shock, began to bring the sword he wielded forward, but in such close quarters, it was useless in his untrained hands.

He was an assassin, swords weren’t a specialty, he simply was assigned one had a driver for intimidation.

Any thought to drawing the dagger hidden in his waistband was pointless as he found hands gripping his head as he was taken to the ground.

Keiji knew how to kill, even bare handed, and with his leverage, it wasn’t hard to crush a windpipe.

Which he attempted, but not before the sword managed a shallow stab forward, slicing through his side, cutting through clothes, then skin, then flesh.

Despite the wound, the omega didn’t let go, and so the alpha breathed his last breath before his neck was all but crushed with brutal efficency.

“Keiji!” Tooru shouted from behind, and thus, another alpha came forth from around the back of the cart.

“Watch it!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Keiji's went savage at the end there, both verbally and physically, and this is the result of all that he talked about earlier. It's a tough subject, but we had to get there eventually. Anywho! Please drop a comment down below, they help Keiji stop himself from bleeding out before the end of this little adventure, and please leave kudos if you've never been here before! Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
